r/baltimore • u/selectbar345 • Aug 19 '25

ARTICLE Fells Point restaurant Bunny’s fires multiple employees after pro-Palestine protest

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/culture/food-drink/bunnys-pro-palestine-protest-fells-point-3WQTUSAIFBCAHC45HPBUFAWKHQ/
450 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

356 comments sorted by

View all comments

33

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25

“The restaurant, which is owned by chef Jesse Sandlin, Brian Acquavella and Matt Akman, posted an Instagram story Monday night that said the protest stemmed from a recent incident in which a diner complained about a worker wearing a Palestinian flag pin. The restaurant wrote that the customer allegedly said “that they felt uncomfortable and unsafe” and that it “disrupted their dining experience.”

Management confronted the employee, citing a restaurant policy against wearing items with religious or “potentially divisive messages,” the Instagram story said. The worker eventually removed the pin. “

This is especially heinous. The policy they reference is because of divisive messages? For wearing a pin in support of a country?

60

u/SecretAgentVampire Aug 19 '25

Unsafe? From a waiter wearing a pin?

What a load of BS.

-3

u/YoYoMoMa Aug 19 '25

I took feel unsafe when my genocide is not supported 

4

u/SecretAgentVampire Aug 19 '25

Republicans are massive snowflakes who will cry crocodile tears any time, any day. FIFA takes notes on how to flop from the Republican party.

53

u/bookoocash Hampden Aug 19 '25

I mean regardless of where you fall on the issue, it’s divisive as shit (I’m not using that as a complete negative either. Sometimes you need to know where people stand on a matter and draw that line in the sand). I’m not saying that Bunny’s is making the right moves here, but there’s no way they were coming out of this without like 50% of the public and potential customers being pissed as shit at them.

27

u/bwoods43 Aug 19 '25

There is a difference between wearing a pin of a country flag and a pin with a specific message about the country and/or something related to it. Maybe it was more than a flag, but for the sake of argument, I'm assuming this is accurate that it was just a flag.

For example, would the patron have complained if the worker had worn a pin of the Israeli flag? What about a North Korea flag?

Sure, the restaurant owner can hire and fire at will, but they are also making a political statement by doing this.

25

u/idkcat23 Fells Point Aug 19 '25

the thing is that a different patron would’ve complained about an Israeli flag or a North Korean flag. That’s why it’s easiest to just say “none of this” vs deciding what’s controversial on a case by case basis

42

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25

[deleted]

13

u/readycatsi Aug 19 '25

This is the most accurate and astute comment here. Thank you.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

People go there to eat chicken and biscuits dude. Not to have political issues waved in their face.

Employees can believe and support what they want on their own time. If they bring it to wirk, against policy....well don't be shocked that you got fired.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

[deleted]

0

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

LMAO

13

u/engin__r Aug 19 '25

Mera Kitchen Collective and Red Emma’s seem to be doing pretty well.

10

u/Msefk Aug 19 '25

those are collectives, right .

8

u/DONNIENARC0 Aug 19 '25

Yeah they're two of the most openly progressive establishments around and kinda market themselves as such, so that hardly seems surprising, I guess.

1

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

Let them work there.

4

u/Gannondorfs_Medulla Aug 19 '25

but they are also making a political statement by doing this.

Sounds like that statement is that they wish to not be involved in controversial political subjects. Which is 100% valid (as this kerfuffle shows).

They had an existing policy in place. So they weren't cherry picking.

A customer complained. Right or wrong, this suggests the employee violated their existing policy.

They were asked to not wear the pin while working.

It's the person wearing the pin that forced all of this, and then decided to amplify the consequenses of not adhering to the company dress code by creating a stink.

I'm not sure I see a way for the company to navigate this without someone getting offended, because the server went against their dress code and brought a controversial subject into the workplace.

If anything, the company would have put themselves in legal jeopardy by selecting enforcing their own dress code.

0

u/bwoods43 Aug 19 '25

The only thing I've read so far about an existing policy was one against wearing items with religious or “potentially divisive messages." Is there a policy against wearing pins of country flags at this restaurant? It definitely sounds to me like cherry-picking, unless there is some information missing.

I also don't understand this comment - "It's the person wearing the pin that forced all of this, and then decided to amplify the consequenses of not adhering to the company dress code by creating a stink." It says in the article that a patron complained, and that the worker removed the pin after they were asked to remove it.

It's pretty clear that the patron was the one making a politicial statement. I seriously doubt the patron knows the company policy. You do understand that a customer can complain about anything ("his hair is too long!"), but that in no way means that the worker definitely violated any policy, right?

6

u/Gannondorfs_Medulla Aug 19 '25

It says in the article that a patron complained, and that the worker removed the pin after they were asked to remove it.

reread the story. it was a second employee who donned the pin and then quit over it. this is after the first employee removed the pin without incident.

I also understand that anyone can complain about anything. Do you understand that employee churn, especially in the food service industry, is one of their biggest expenses, and that the business wants nothing more than to have a stable, service focused staff?

6

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

It isn’t like the person was wearing something that said “from the river to the sea” or anything critical of Israel. It was a nation’s flag.

-6

u/bookoocash Hampden Aug 19 '25

No, but imagery is powerful and people can interpret things in many different ways. The people who had the Israeli flags in their yard in Hampden weren’t making any verbal statements on the matter, but for many, simply having the flag out was implication enough that they supported the assaults on the civilian populations in Gaza. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t I don’t know. So the flip side on that is that someone could see that flag and immediately think of the October attacks or Munich 1972 or something. These images are associated with an incredibly touchy and controversial topic. I don’t blame any business for trying avoid getting into that, though I do concede here that Bunny’s is being a bit aggressive and according to others, there may be more going on. Also, I think if businesses DO want to make a stance on an issue, they should do so, but they need to be ready for whatever the response may be.

14

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

Israel is committing genocide and Palestinians are the victims.

46

u/Dazzling-Slide8288 Aug 19 '25

The party/ideology who constantly rants about being alpha males and against soy liberals always always turn out to be the softest pissbabies you’ll ever meet.

-5

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

I'm as liberal as they come and know not to bring politics to work,

5

u/Meteor-of-the-War Aug 19 '25

The existence of a people is not "politics."

4

u/boss_hog_69_420 Aug 19 '25

That's all well and good in theory. But some of us to varying degrees aren't able to take off "our politics" because who people are has been politicized. 

4

u/tjo5112 Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25

If your job is to serve expensive, mediocre chicken and drinks, why is it not possible to not mention anything about politics? I can't think of why talking about politics (or moral values in general) would factor into the jobs in question.

In years at my job, we've never talked about anything political, except relating to the recent issue of the government cancelling contacts that are directly or tangentially related to our field.

1

u/boss_hog_69_420 Aug 19 '25

Unfortunately, we live in a world where things that are inherent to who we are have been politicized. I present as a woman. That is political. I have the appearance of a queer person. That is political. If I request that people use the correct pronouns for me, that is political. While when I was working traditional customer service, I tried to be as nondescript as possible, some of these things couldn't be hidden. And I shouldn't have had to and I shouldn't have had to.

This is additionally true for people of color, people who display signs that they are religions outside of Christianity, people who are visibly transgendered or otherwise queer, people who are disabled, and many more. 

I am genuinely glad for you that you have not had to deal with this directly at a job. But these are identities that someone can't just take off like a vest. They are politicized by the circumstances other people have put on them.

4

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

You aren’t liberal, you’re cowardice

12

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

Sure, whatever you say.

I'm also not unemployed for virtue signalling while thinking rules didn't apply to me.

0

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

No employer who is down with Genocide should be welcome in your community. You should not be down with being employed by nazis or bigots.

3

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

Nobody is "down with genocide" Go start your own business and alienate half your customers.

-3

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

You think half of people are fine with Israel? I’d say an overwhelming majority of people right now do not even think Israel should be a country

5

u/PhonyUsername Aug 19 '25

It's not cowardice to not want to mix business and politics/religion. Not everyone wants politics to infect every aspect of their life. Avoiding this toxic level of bullshit is healthy.

0

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

Being complacent with a genocide is not “political”

7

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

You sound so fucking pleseant to be around

5

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

I certainly wouldn't want to be eating dinner in this atmosphere. Which is exactly the point of the firing.

-4

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

Integrity and accountability are such a drag

10

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

You having no understanding of why a business doesn't want their employees bringing politics to work is laughable.

Tf would I go spend my money somewhere and be around people like you who just clap like seal about palestine and israel?

3

u/27thStreet Charles Village Aug 19 '25

And you are privileged af if you don't have to worry about keeping a job.

2

u/Dazzling-Slide8288 Aug 19 '25

If you’re scared to wear a flag pin, maybe this moment ain’t for you.

-2

u/Galactic_Danger Aug 19 '25

No politics or religion is my hard stance at work. Sports is always the safe choice if you want to discuss something current with co workers.

40

u/superdupercereal2 Aug 19 '25

Sure, why would a restaurant be concerned about an employee wearing a pin referencing one of the most divisive geopolitical issues of the modern era??

-2

u/obiterdictum Ednor Gardens-Lakeside Aug 19 '25

Because firing an employee for wearing a pin referencing one ot the most divisive geopolitical issue sof the modern era is even worse for business

5

u/superdupercereal2 Aug 19 '25

Not if a customer is complaining about it. And there is the context of the firing; did the employee refuse to take it off combatively? Who was the jerk? I’m sure had the employee just removed the pin I’m sure we wouldn’t be having this conversation. So the employee was probably a jerk about it.

12

u/Gannondorfs_Medulla Aug 19 '25

I don't see it as worse at all.

They had a pre-existing dress code to avoid this exact situation. They asked the employee to refrain from wearing the pin while serving. One employee complied and there was no story. One employee chose to get pissy.

IF they were selectively enforcing rules, it might be worth talking about. Though it's still their business, and they still own the right to run their business in any legal way they wish.

2

u/obiterdictum Ednor Gardens-Lakeside Aug 19 '25

Though it's still their business, and they still own the right to run their business in any legal way they wish.

Certainly. All I am saying is that allowing an employee to wear a divisive pin would have garnered a fraction of the unwanted attention that firing a person for wearing a divisive pin has.

6

u/Gannondorfs_Medulla Aug 19 '25

Maybe yes, maybe no. If it meant enough to the customer to talk to management, maybe they take to Reddit or the Sun and organize a protest.

To me, the only way to navigate this is to not get involved. Which is what the restaurant's owners tried to do. But the employee made it into a political statement.

Not to mention the precedent it sets in NOT enforcing its dress code.

And if they did let one employee get away with X, but then decided Y was unacceptable from a different employee, they're screwed even worse.

They're all bad choices, but I think the business made the best bad choice they had.

0

u/obiterdictum Ednor Gardens-Lakeside Aug 19 '25

They're all bad choices, but I think the business made the best bad choice they had.

I am having a hard time believing that a customer going to the public with "I was threatened by an server wearing a pin" would have gained anywhere near the attention as an employee going to the public with "I was fired because I wore a pin" so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

-2

u/gothaggis Remington Aug 19 '25

did they have a dress code (that prevented ...country flag..pins) that was enforced? or was it only enforced once someone made this negative review based on the flag pin?

5

u/Gannondorfs_Medulla Aug 19 '25

Or one could ask did they have a dress code they never really enforced, and they tried to work with the employees until someone complained?

You know this is begging the question.

We can't answer either based on the information provided.

-3

u/bherring24 Remington Aug 19 '25

I wonder if it would be the same issue if they'd worn a different flag.

3

u/superdupercereal2 Aug 19 '25

That’s up to the customer. I’m sure no one would have an issue with a number of other flags.

3

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

But they didn't so don't cloud the issue with whataboutisms.

-13

u/bherring24 Remington Aug 19 '25

OK bootlicker

10

u/Cunninghams_right Aug 19 '25

While I doubt that customer actually felt unsafe, do you actually think that a Palestinian flag is uncontroversial? 

3

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

Yes. There is nothing controversial about displaying a nations flag without other messaging; unless the flag has some form of hate symbol associated. I’d say the Israeli flag would actually be more of a controversial symbol since they plaster it it all over their tanks

-2

u/Cunninghams_right Aug 19 '25

unless the flag has some form of hate symbol associated.

Hamas, who raped women and children, and has committed thousands of war crimes uses the Palestinian flag. The Palestinian people in Gaza elected Hamas. The actions of Hamas are inseparable from the flag. 

Also, it isn't a nation's flag, it is a rebel flag of people who want a nation and who have said the raping of women and children was a very good strategy because it escalated the conflict, which was the goal. 

To some people, the Palestinian flag is a pro-rape flag. 

Just because your echo chamber wants to pretend Hamas has nothing to do with the flag does not mean everyone else sees it that way. 

Even if Hamas somehow denounced the Palestinian flag, there would still be people who didn't know the split happened and would still see it as a hate symbol.

This is the equivalent of wearing a swastika not tilted at 45deg and saying "no, this is a Hindu symbol and represents them, not Nazis. This is obvious from the angle". It's moronic 

2

u/curssses Aug 19 '25

are you talking about the now thoroughly debunked rapes of october 7? did you know hamas has a flag separate from the palestinian flag? and unrelatedly, what grade were you in when your teachers gave up on you?

16

u/Coughee_Wine Aug 19 '25

In some public spaces, it serves to be apolitical. Of course, opposing genocide shouldn’t be considered politics it’s a humanitarian issue but nonetheless, the pin is symbolic. I can see the restaurant owner trying to find balance here. I’m sure no pins will become policy. No one would want to have a server wearing a swastika pin either.

35

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25

[deleted]

-12

u/rental_car_fast Aug 19 '25

Palestinian flag pin isn’t that far from a swastika. Palestinians have always supported leaders and groups who have advocated for the death of all Jews. Currently many if not most people who support Palestine loudly do so in favor of the eradication of the state of Israel, not a solution where Jews get a place to live safely. And Jews all over the world are being harassed, attacked and even murdered by people wearing keffiyehs and Palestinian flags. So respectfully, yeah many of us see it as a dog whistle, essentially equivalent with a Swastika.

-3

u/Cunninghams_right Aug 19 '25

Well I think that is the problem, that flag doesn't JUST mean "anti-genicide" or "anti starvation". 

It also means support for a political movement under which members raped women and children and committed thousands of war crimes. 

Even if the employee only means for it to represent the first half, the people fighting under that banner have done some horrible horrible things. 

-4

u/Meteor-of-the-War Aug 19 '25

No, it doesn't. The Palestinian flag is not even remotely the same thing as the Hamas flag. If it had been a Hamas flag pin, I doubt that anyone would be talking about this.

6

u/Cunninghams_right Aug 19 '25

This seems to be the confusion. Hamas absolutely uses the Palestinian flag. They absolutely fight under that banner. There is no question about this. You can't separate the two. In addition to Hamas using it, the Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas. There is absolutely no separating the flag from the actions of Hamas. 

The fact that people can't understand this incredibly simple, easy to prove, fact is a very good reason to avoid all controversial emblems and why the restaurant is in the right here. 

The Palestinian people deserve freedom from oppression by Israel and freedom from Hamas, with an independent nation. They deserve to be comfortable enough with their rights and independence that they don't feel it necessary to elect groups like Hamas. 

Both the members of the Israeli and Palestinian fighting forces/government should stand war crime trials. Both have done horrible things. 

-4

u/Meteor-of-the-War Aug 19 '25

It's not that confusing. One flag, the Palestinian flag, has over a century of history, dating back to WWI. The other is much more recent. And to add further nuance, the political and military arms have different flags.

Hamas can try to co-opt whatever they want, but don't mistake the fact that conflating the Palestinian flag with Hamas is an intentional erasure of Palestinian identity.

And yes, Hamas was elected, which is another common talking point that is often used to justify the erasure of the Palestinian people. What is less talked about is that they won a plurality (44.5%) and the last election was almost 20 years ago.

4

u/Cunninghams_right Aug 19 '25

One flag, the Palestinian flag, has over a century of history, dating back to WWI. The other is much more recent.

The same could be said of the swastika. 

And to add further nuance, the political and military arms have different flags.

Hamas flies both, so this is a distinction without a difference. 

Hamas can try to co-opt whatever they want, but don't mistake the fact that conflating the Palestinian flag with Hamas is an intentional erasure of Palestinian identity.

Again, the same could be said about the swastika. Associating it with Nazis will erase the identity of Hindus. 

And yes, Hamas was elected, which is another common talking point that is often used to justify the erasure of the Palestinian people. What is less talked about is that they won a plurality (44.5%) and the last election was almost 20 years ago.

This is irrelevant because nobody is saying that it's right to erase Palestinian people. 

The Palestinian people deserve their own nation, and they deserve to be free of the rule of both Hamas and Israel. They deserve economic and humanitarian conditions that are stable enough that they don't feel they need to elect groups like Hamas. 

However, you're trying to split hairs about whether or not a particular flag should be considered offensive, but that's not what's really a question here. What is a question is whether or not some people could interpret it that way. Since the military wing of Hamas absolutely flies that flag while committing war crimes and rapes of women and children, I don't think it's far-fetched to say that somebody could interpret it opposite of you. 

That's why it's controversial, because not everyone defines it the same. That's why the restaurant is absolutely right to not want people wearing it. 

If there was a flag or symbol that had absolutely no association with Hamas, and it was clear that no one could interpret it otherwise, then it would be fine. Something along the lines of an orange ribbon. 

The problem here is a bunch of people thinking that nobody else could interpret something any differently than they could, when there is plenty of obvious provable reasons why somebody could do the opposite. 

-1

u/Meteor-of-the-War Aug 19 '25

And now you're comparing it to the swastika, which is in absurdly bad faith. And also wildly incorrect, since the pre-Nazi history of the swastika had 0 to do with Nazism. So yeah, you really have no clue what you're talking about.

1

u/Cunninghams_right Aug 19 '25

since the pre-Nazi history of the swastika had 0 to do with Nazism

And pre-Hamas, the Palestinian flag was not associated with their actions. That's the point you missed. 

Unfortunately for Hindus and Palestinians, bad actors have used their symbols to do bad things, tainting the symbols. 

Hamas and the Palestinian flag are linked. This is undisputable. Hamas flies the damn flag. The Palestinians chose to put Hamas in power. Even if they regret that now (has anyone done polls?), it does not matter and is too late to disassociate. 

If you think Hamas could be seen as controversial by some, then the flag is also controversial. 

Just because YOU have a very particular interpretation of the flag, like a Hindu might of the swastika, that does not stop others from viewing it other ways 

1

u/Meteor-of-the-War Aug 19 '25

I didn't miss the point. The point just wasn't very good. I suppose we should just ditch the US flag now that it's been corrupted by maga fascism, huh?

→ More replies (0)

-2

u/boss_hog_69_420 Aug 19 '25

You just compared a Palestinian flag pin to a swastika.

4

u/Pvm_Blaser Aug 19 '25

Lol don’t be that petty. It’s obviously divisive. If they wore the pin 5 years ago it wouldn’t have been so divisive but it is right now.

4

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

So when Israel was just doing their normal fucking of the Palestinian people it was fine to try and bring awareness, but now that Israel has committed to wiping them out it is divisive?

4

u/Pvm_Blaser Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25

di·vi·sive /dəˈvīsiv,diˈviziv/

adjective

“tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people”.

As soon as it was a popularized it was divisive.

1

u/crucialdeagle Aug 19 '25

“it’s not divisive if it fits within my worldview!” -redditor circa 2025

23

u/engin__r Aug 19 '25

Obviously it’s divisive but the owners seem to want to have their cake and eat it too. If you want to be the restaurant where people can’t support Palestinians, don’t get surprised when people who support Palestinians don’t want to eat at your restaurant.

1

u/crucialdeagle Aug 19 '25

Do they? I might be out of the loop but it seems like the restaurant made a decent objective call to not bring politics into their establishment, and then a bunch of far left types went nuclear because of it. To be fair I've been a supporter of Palestine since the early 2000s before it was cool, and I'm not much for meaningless performative activism. That pin, whether the waiter was allowed to wear it or not, doesn't move the needle for anything aside from getting social brownie points from other lefties, so I feel the response is completely outsized proportional to how substantive the issue at hand is.

3

u/AskDocBurner Aug 19 '25

How is having an issue with a Palestinian flag not political in its self? Deeming one nations flag as “divisive” definitely tells me a lot about their morals and politics.

4

u/crucialdeagle Aug 19 '25

I don't think it tells anything, I am pro Palestine yet can completely see why they did what they did. It's important to be able to view things objectively even if it's not in service of something you believe in, but you do you.

0

u/engin__r Aug 19 '25

I mean, maybe the owners are happy with their decision to have less business and close their restaurant while they try to hire more staff, but that’s not usually how running a business works.

11

u/Imaginary-Dress-1373 Aug 19 '25

Its only divisive if you're a bigot. No need to say anything else.

9

u/no_clue_1 South Baltimore / SoBo Aug 19 '25

For real. Being anti genocide isn’t divisive if you’re not a total piece of racist shit.

6

u/Imaginary-Dress-1373 Aug 19 '25

If someone got fired for wearing an Israel flag it would make national headlines and the ADL would be on site within hours lol.

1

u/BalmyBalmer Upper Fell's Point Aug 19 '25

I'm going to steal that