Dozens of protesters from the #EndJewHatred organization gathered Wednesday outside a Brooklyn coffee shop whose owner said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., was unwelcome because of his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"If this kind of discrimination becomes normal, it will not stop with one customer or one coffee shop," a spokesperson for #EndJewHatred told AM New York.
"Racism is wrong. Antisemitism is wrong. Targeting Jews will not be tolerated."
The protest outside Poetica Coffee followed a social media post by owner Parviz Mukhamadkulov saying Goldman was not welcome at the business.
"We see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee," the shop posted Sunday on Instagram alongside a photo of Goldman looking at his phone near the cash register. The image appeared to have been taken from a surveillance camera.
"Do you see how it doesn't taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?
"We don't serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers or anyone in between. Too bad we didn't recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away."
The post was no longer visible by Wednesday, and the shop's Instagram account appeared to have been deactivated.
The Justice Department announced Tuesday on X that its Civil Rights Division had opened an investigation into the incident.
"The Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation and will bring an enforcement action if warranted," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote on X.
"Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin," she said.
Goldman said he visited the shop so his daughter could use the restroom and purchased a coffee to thank staff for allowing her to do so.
The controversy comes amid heightened tensions over the war in Gaza and political divisions regarding U.S. support for Israel.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, contributed to a humanitarian crisis, and displaced much of the territory's population, according to international aid organizations and health officials in Gaza. Some rights groups, scholars, and a United Nations inquiry have described Israel's actions as genocide, a characterization Israel rejects.
Israel says it is acting in self-defense following the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken into Gaza.