Canadian restaurant chain Moxies is facing criticism after dismissing four employees who openly expressed their support for the National March for Gaza. The employees were seen cheering on the steps of a Moxies restaurant in Toronto during the protest. B’nai Brith Canada, an independent Jewish Human Rights organization, reported that the company stated the employees were no longer working at Moxies after a two-week deliberation period.
Journalist Caryma Sa’d posted a video on Twitter showing the employees cheering in solidarity with the protest. The video captioned “Restaurant workers show solidarity with National March for Gaza” quickly gained traction, with over 890,000 views. Moxies responded to the video by stating that the employees’ conduct did not align with the company’s values. They emphasized that participating in demonstrations while in uniform or on company premises is strictly prohibited and does not reflect their corporate culture. Moxies apologized to anyone negatively impacted by the actions and announced that a formal investigation had been launched, with appropriate disciplinary actions to follow.
Toronto-based employment lawyer Muneeza Sheikh raised concerns about Moxies’ initial response, suggesting that the company should have first determined whether the event was explicitly anti-Israel or a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian civilians. Sheikh pointed out that the employees in the video only chanted “Palestine” and did not attend the rally. She argued that if the rally was hateful towards a specific group, such as Jewish individuals, Moxies’ actions would be justifiable. However, Sheikh cautioned against hasty terminations, as employers could face wrongful termination cases if they cannot demonstrate that the employees’ actions were discriminatory or hateful.
As a result of the controversy, some social media users are calling for a boycott of Moxies, while others support the company’s decision to dismiss the employees.
