TikToker @ambamelia has sparked controversy after posting a video depicting her removing Greek flags from outside restaurant Efi’s Gyro in New Jersey, USA, mistaking them for Israeli flags.
In the video, she filmed herself pulling down the Greek flag bunting while chanting “Free Palestine!”
As she notices a worker inside the restaurant watching her, she shouts, “What you looking at? You know damn well there’s a genocide!”
In the following moments, she films herself taking down the bunting and other decorations it was attached to, muttering repeatedly, “I don’t stand for it.” When confronted by a staff member, she insists, “I don’t stand for it. I don’t stand for Zionism. There’s a genocide.”
“They are killing children,” she tells the clearly confused workers. “You understand, right? It’s nothing against people who are Jewish. But this,” she says while shaking the Greek flags, “Is not ok.”
The worker responds, “This is a Greek flag.”
@ambamelia #fyp #viral ♬ original sound – Ambzz
“What?!” she exclaims. “Really? I thought it was Israel.” She then adds, “Oh s**t. My bad,” before attempting to return the flags.
“Look, it looks like Israel. You want it back?” she asks, prompting one of the workers to scold her, explaining that it’s really not acceptable to tear down their flags.
Gyros restaurant owner Efi Mihalis confirmed that the bizarre attack posted online was real. However, she clarified that the incident occurred on March 11, leaving many puzzled about why it was only shared now. Mihalis reported the attack to the police at the time.
“It was not a skit as some people believe,” she stated, addressing speculation that the incident seemed too absurd to be genuine.
“This was not planned nor was it calculated in any way,” she emphasised, noting that everyone present was “taken aback” by what unfolded.
“The young woman destroyed my property,” she added, expressing her frustration over the event.
