Owner of kosher coffee shop unmasked as activist who made Hitler salute and called for ‘Final Solution’

The protestor owned two branches of Second Cup Café at Montreal’s Jewish General hospital

A popular Canadian coffee chain has terminated the contract of one of their franchisees after video footage emerged of her performing a Nazi salute and calling for the “Final Solution” at a protest in Montreal.

The woman in question was later identified as Mai Abdullhadi, the owner of two franchises of the Second Cup Café chain located at the Jewish General Hospital in the Quebec capital.

At a pro-Palestine demonstration involving student strikers outside Concordia University on Thursday, video footage emerged of Abdullhadi making the Nazi salute.

In another video, she walked in front of a group of counter protesters on the corner of Mackay and De Maisonneuve streets and said: “The final solution is coming your way, the final solution. You know what the final solution is?”

In the footage, Abdullhadi was wearing a keffiyeh, sunglasses and a medical mask shielding her face.

On Saturday, Second Cup Café released a statement condemning its franchisee’s “hateful remarks and gestures”.

“In coordination with the hospital, we’ve shut down the franchisee’s cafe and are terminating their franchise agreement,” the company said.

The coffee chain said it had “zero tolerance” for hate speech, adding the “franchisee’s actions are not only a breach of our franchise agreement, but they also violate the values of inclusion and community we stand for”.

Abdullhadi was erroneously branded a “Zionist” plant on social media after some users speculated that her ownership of two kosher cafes indicated she was a Jewish provocateur inciting hate at a pro-Palestinian protest.

Concordia University released a statement condemning Thursday’s “antisemitic events” and said it “will not tolerate hate speech on our campuses”.

“These despicable words and gestures, which were clearly intended to intimidate members of our community, are completely unacceptable,” the university said, adding that personnel are working with law enforcement to ensure everyone involved in held accountable for their “criminal acts”.

On Friday afternoon, anti-NATO and anti-Israel protests erupted across the Canadian city, resulting in three arrests as smoke bombs and fireworks were set off, business windows were shattered, and police officers were assaulted.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the “acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence”, after protesters marched with banners called for “intifada” in Arabic and set an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on fire.