‘No Zionists allowed.’ Bar’s message draws accusations of antisemitism in Utah city

A Utah bar has banned supporters of the Zionism movement, and some have referred to the bar owner’s stance as antisemitic.

Now, the ban by Salt Lake City bar Weathered Waves has reportedly sparked a potential investigation brought to the Utah Attorney General’s Office.

The bar posted a “No Zionists Allowed” message on Instagram on Monday, March 4, leading to a fury of responses.

“We are horrified by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and are even more horrified to see so many Americans ignore and rationalize ethnic cleansing,” Weathered Waves said in the post. “That is why we are pleased to announce we are banning all Zionists forever from our establishments. Zionism is hate speech, it is white supremacy and has nothing to do with the beautiful Jewish faith.”

Michael Valentine, who owns the bar, later edited the post to say the ban doesn’t only apply to “Zionists.” He said Nazis and racists are also not allowed at his establishments.

The bar owner told KMYU that Jewish patrons are still allowed at Weathered Waves, as the ban does nor prohibit religion.

“I think it’s, again, something we’d be happy to stand on the right side of history for,” Valentine told KSL. “It’s important that this remains an inclusive space by banning all hate speech.”

What is Zionism?

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Zionism is referred to as “the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel.”

Zionism, which Vox reports is the national ideology in Israel, is generally opposed by Arabs and Palestinians.

In a February poll by Arab Center Washington DC, 59% of the Arab respondents said they are certain there is no possibility for peace with Israel. Only 13% believe there is a chance to establish peace.

Weathered Waves vowed its support for Palestine in the country’s armed conflict with Israel, but the ADL said being a Zionist does not prevent support for Palestine.

“For some Zionists, support for a two-state solution is the realization of self-determination for Jews and Palestinians alike,” the organization said.

The American Jewish Committee argues anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism.

“Criticizing specific Israeli government policies as discriminatory or racist is not antisemitic,” the AJC says on its website. “However, saying ‘Zionism is racism,’ a phrase which itself is a racist and religious distortion, conveys that the Jewish people — unlike all other people in the world — do not have a right to self-determination.”

State agency requests investigation

The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, which days prior had issued Weathered Waves a license, has notified the state’s attorney general’s office about the bar’s ban, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

In a statement to KSL on March 6, the department said it received several complaints over the bar’s policy.

“Today, the department notified the Utah Attorney General’s Office so they may conduct an investigation on whether the business is violating discrimination laws,” the department said. “At the same time, the department is reviewing its statutory obligations and legal options for responding to discrimination at DABS licensed establishments.”

Valentine said in a statement on Instagram that banning what he refers to as hate speech “is not illegal in any way whatsoever.”

He is calling on the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services to retract its statement, calling it “defamation and slander.”

“Please tell us how it’s discrimination when we are trying to make our bar safe for our Palestinian, Arab, Muslim AND Jewish patrons for banning this kind of hate speech?” he said in a follow-up post March 7.

Kosher food responds

Yalla Kosher Utah, a Salt Lake City food truck serving Kosher food, decried Weathered Waves’ stance and said in an Instagram post that food should not be used to divide people.

“And values aside, we think you’d prefer our shawarma over some cider that sympathizes with sexual violence,” the food truck said.

The post references a new United Nations report, which said there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape and “sexualized torture” of women in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to The Associated Press.

Weathered Waves countered, calling Yalla Kosher’s words “defamation.”

“Our business is still for Jews btw,” the bar said. “We have lots of anti-Zionist Jews we love dearly and will always be welcome.”

Other Jewish leaders react to the ban

Avremi Zippel, a co-owner of the food truck and rabbi of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah, told The Salt Lake Tribune that the bar will have difficulty enforcing the policy “without openly discriminating against the religion.”

“When someone comes into your place of business to order food or beverage, how are you able to ascertain what their political ideologies are?” he told the newspaper. “Zionism is a political ideology. It’s a philosophy. How exactly is a place of business supposed to determine who is and who is not a Zionist?”

He referred to the ban as antisemitic and “a smoke screen for open Jew hatred,” according to KMYU.

The comments are similar to those of the United Jewish Federation of Utah, which called Weathered Waves’ ban a “biased policy,” ABC4 reported.

“In the guise of Anti-Zionist rhetoric this business owner is demonizing those who believe in the right of existence of a Jewish state as well as applying a double standard to Israel and our community,” the federation said.

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