Antisemitic graffiti was scrawled on a wall at a local Starbucks earlier this month, and images of it went viral.
The Starbucks at 681 Stewart Ave. in Garden City was targeted by vandals who plastered “Free Gaza” and “Intifada is Here” as well as two red inverted triangles on the side of the building.
Photos of the graffiti were posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 14.
Several accounts sharing the photo described the graffiti as antisemitic or a hate crime.
While “Free Gaza” and the “Intifada is here” is often associated with the pro-Palestinian movement, the red triangle symbol has a history as one of the notorious color-coded badges in Nazi concentration camps. Red triangles pointing upward signified prisoners of war, and inverted ones indicated political prisoners. Starbucks locations around the country and, in some cases, internationally, have been targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, with some locations having their windows or doors smashed. The company argues that the protesters have been misinformed about the coffee retailer’s stance on the issue.
When Anton Media Group visited the Starbucks in Garden City that had been vandalized only slight traces remained on the side of the location. Employees at the location referred Anton Media to Starbucks’ corporate press office, which provided the following statement via email:
“We are aware of vandalism occurring overnight [in the early morning of] June 14 at our Garden Cit y-Stewart Ave store. We took action to remove t he graffiti as soon as it was discovered. The experience and well-being of our partners and customers is core to who we are, and we continue to work w it h local authorities to support their ongoing investigation.”
“False statements that have been made about who we are and what we stand for are being shared through social media, which has led to some acts of vandalism.”
