MAZUNTE, OAXACA, Mexico — An Israeli couple celebrating their honeymoon in southern Mexico reported being subjected to hostile discrimination and violent ejection from a local restaurant in the coastal town of Mazunte, Oaxaca, according to statements published by the advocacy group Unidos por Israel and Israeli media outlet Mako.
The incident occurred at Sushido, a sushi restaurant in the Pacific beach town within the San Pedro Pochutla municipality. The newlyweds, who had been traveling across Mexico for a month, stated that the confrontation began shortly after staff members asked about their nationality.
Upon discovering that the customers were from Israel, a waitress allegedly began playing anti-Israel music, verbally harassed the couple, and shouted insults, including “I don’t want to serve murderers, get out of here!” and “Fuck Israel.” According to the couple’s account, kitchen staff then joined in the confrontation, and the chef threw their plate of sushi at them before forcing them to leave the premises.
“We asked for food and drinks, and the atmosphere was pleasant until the waitress asked us where we were from,” the couple told Mako. “We saw many Palestinian flags in the town, but we didn’t pay much attention to it. We knew why we were coming; some people had given us bad looks before, but never like this.”
The couple recalled that two Mexican patrons and another Israeli customer present in the establishment attempted to intervene and calm the situation, but the hostility persisted, forcing the newlyweds to walk away. “They didn’t let us eat in the restaurant just for being Israeli,” one of the victims stated, adding that they felt shocked and deeply hurt by the experience.
The event highlights growing geopolitical tensions spilling into popular tourist destinations along Oaxaca’s coast, where anti-war signage and Palestinian solidarity flags have become increasingly visible. Neither local law enforcement nor municipal authorities in San Pedro Pochutla have publicly announced whether an official investigation into the alleged hate incident or workplace discrimination is underway.
Source: El Universal
