A 29-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman went shopping at the Coton store in the Keyserlei area of Antwerp, Belgium, but was told that she could not buy anything there because she is Jewish.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, told police that she went to purchase cotton at the store at 3:00 on Monday afternoon, and the woman at the register told her that “we don’t sell to Jews at this moment due to the ongoing situation in Israel.”
After the woman returned home and told her husband about the humiliating incident, he went to the store with a friend. Employing a hidden camera to record the exchange, the two asked a saleslady about the alleged snub.
Also:
Translated from Flemish, the conversation went as follows:
> He: “A friend of mine wanted to buy something today and was not allowed to buy.”
> Lady at the register answers, “Eh, Yeh.”
> He: “What was the story?”
> She: “A protest, I think. My boss was here and he was protesting.”
> He: “Can I buy something?”
> She: “Yes, go ahead.”
> He: “Where is the boss?”
> She: “He’s not here.”
> He: “So he doesn’t sell to Jews?”
> She: “That’s how he said it.”
> He: “Can I call him or talk to him?”
> She :”No.”
> He: “Were you here also?”
> She: “I wasn’t here but they told me the story.”
> He: “Can I have his number?”
> She.: “I can’t give it out.”
> He: “It’s a strange story no?”
> She:”Yes.”
After police came to the store and asked the boss about the story, she denied the incident and said that a lot of her wholesales are Jewish, so she has nothing against Jews. Police told the victim they will investigate the incident since the conversation confirming it was captured on video by her husband.
A number of Antwerp residents told JP that they were shocked when they heard about the incident, as the store is located in the middle of the Jewish neighborhood.
Figen Erol is an intercultural facilitator at St. Francis hospital in Heusden-Zolder. But some recent comments she posted online suggest she shouldn't be employed in a position which requires contact with people, and especially not with foreigners.(h/t Bob Knot)
For example:
"Hitler said" a day will come when you will curse me for leaving over a few heads
She later removed this comment, but another one is still online:
On the facebook page of Knack Magazine, a user named "Zafer Aksoy" posted a comment saying: 'When all Jews are dead... then there will be a ceasefire'. Erol responded: "Quite right, and the rest can get lost. Or to Israel!! If it happens to still exist."
Those posts were made during work hours.
UPDATE: (h/t sophie44)
Approximately 500 people attended Saturday’s protest in the capital of Belgium’s Flemish region, where one of the speakers used a loudspeaker to chant a call in Arabic that means “slaughter the Jews.”
UPDATE x2: The hospital worker was fired (h/t Akiva who received email from the hospital.)