'Jews are welcome, Zionist are not,' say owners of Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado

Denver restaurant Sap Sua drew public scrutiny after its Instagram account stated that "Jews are welcome, Zionists are not." The restaurant's co-owner also promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories. Watchdog groups called for a legal review of the policy under Colorado anti-discrimination laws. The controversy began with a post featuring the phrase "From the river to the sea, Falastine will be free" and escalated with further inflammatory comments.

Denver restaurant Sap Sua drew public scrutiny after social media exchanges on Instagram revealed an account associated with the establishment stating that "Jews are welcome, Zionists are not." The controversy began when the restaurant's official Instagram account posted an image featuring the phrase "From the river to the sea, Falastine will be free." When questioned about whether Jewish or Israeli patrons would feel safe, the restaurant responded in the comment section by stating that "everyone is welcome at Sap Sua, except for anyone who aligns with the genocidal Apartied (sic) ethno-supremacist regime of Israel." The restaurant's co-chef and owner, Ni Nguyen, also replied to a user by asserting that "it was nine Israelis who were dancing and celebrating" in reference to the September 11 terrorist attacks. In a subsequent video, Nguyen said, "F*** Israel, Free Palestine, F*** Pink, Free Macklemore." Watchdog groups StopAntisemitism and the Jewish Alliance of Colorado called for Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser to examine whether the policy violates Colorado's anti-discrimination laws.