Second Cup closes Montreal franchise over hateful incident
CTV
Second Cup Café has closed one of its franchise locations in Montreal following allegations of hateful remarks and gestures made by the franchisee in a video that was widely circulated online during a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday.
Warning: This story and video contain material that may be disturbing to some viewers.
Second Cup Café has closed one of its franchise locations in Montreal following allegations of hateful remarks and gestures made by the franchisee in a video that was widely circulated online during a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday.
The franchise was located at the Jewish General Hospital.
In a statement shared on its social media accounts, the coffee chain said the franchisee’s actions breached their agreement and violated the company’s values of inclusion and community.
“Second Cup has zero tolerance for hate speech. In coordination with the hospital, we’ve shut down the franchisee’s café and are terminating their franchise agreement,” the company said.
The footage shows a woman wearing a keffiyeh, black sunglasses, and a medical mask, chanting “the final solution is coming your way.” The video also appears to show the same woman giving a Nazi salute during the protest.
Peter Mammas, the president of Foodtastic, Second Cup’s parent company, told CTV News that they were made aware of the video on Saturday afternoon.
