A worker who supports the Palestinian cause refused to serve a Jewish man at an Officeworks store in Elsternwick, Melbourne. The incident occurred in March when the man visited the store to laminate a page from the Australian Jewish News but was first reported in local media on Thursday.
The employee declined, citing her pro-Palestinian stance. "I'm pro-Palestine and, for political reasons, I'm not comfortable" doing job, she told the customer.
She also told him that "Officeworks can refuse service." After a brief argument, the employee threatened to call the police, prompting the man to leave.
Officeworks CEO Sarah Hunter has since issued an apology for the incident and the distress caused to the customer. "We learned of the incident in March 2024 and were deeply disappointed that it occurred. The service should have been provided by our staff," Hunter said. "We took this matter very seriously, investigated it at the time, and took appropriate disciplinary action. The views expressed by the employee do not reflect those of Officeworks."
Hunter added, "At Officeworks, we do not discriminate against our customers based on political opinions, religious beliefs, gender, or race."
According to the Australian Jewish News, the employee who refused service is still employed at Officeworks but has undergone customer service training. The incident has resurfaced in the news after the Jewish customer, who wishes to remain anonymous, filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission under the "Equal Opportunity Act" of 2010, alleging racial and religious vilification.
Gareth Narunsky, the editor-in-chief of the Australian Jewish News, expressed shock over the event. "Someone simply wanted to laminate a page from our newspaper and was treated this way." He emphasized that the newspaper represents a wide range of Australian Jews with diverse opinions, often featuring content critical of Israeli policies while staunchly affirming Israel's right to defend itself.
"To reject a customer wanting to laminate an article from our publication is ignorant and antisemitic," Narunsky said. "Had the employee looked closely, she would have seen that the article was about a group of Australians traveling to Israel to support victims of the horrific Hamas-led attack on October 7, which saw more Jews murdered in a single day than at any other time since the Holocaust."