By Carrie Fellner
It’s the oldest adage in journalism: don’t become the story.
Yet a Daily Telegraph news crew found themselves firmly on the wrong side of the camera this week, with the police called in following a stunt gone wrong involving a man wearing a Star of David cap at a popular inner-city eatery.
Cairo Takeaway in Enmore Road.Credit: Anna Kucera
Extraordinary vision has emerged of the newshounds being berated as they are pursued down a Sydney eat street “with their tails between their legs” by a hospitality worker who admonishes them for their “divisive journalism”.
The commotion erupted at midday on Tuesday at Cairo Takeaway, an Egyptian restaurant with a cult following on Enmore Road in Newtown.
The restaurant has been a vocal supporter of Palestine on its social media pages.
According to the restaurant’s version of events, a Jewish man wearing a Star of David cap entered the premises and ordered a tea before making a series of provocative comments to staff, in an apparent attempt to goad them into a heated argument.
“Our staff members were subjected to a deliberate, orchestrated incident … at our establishment,” the restaurant’s owner, Hesham El Masry, claimed to the Herald.
El Masry alleged the agitator in question appeared to be working in concert with a Telegraph news crew.
Reporter Danielle Gusmaroli was waiting on the street near the restaurant with a photographer and videographer in tow, El Masry claimed.
He added that the news crew appeared poised to film an “orchestrated confrontation”.
“We are deeply concerned by what appears to be a premeditated attempt to provoke our employees while being filmed without their consent,” El Masry said.
A mural in the colours of the Palestinian flag on the wall of Cairo Takeaway restaurant in Enmore.Credit: Kate Geraghty
El Masry said his staff were shaken by the incident but showed “remarkable professionalism”.
“Local community members who witnessed the incident were visibly disturbed by the calculated nature of these actions, and many stepped forward highlighting the vulgarity of the actions they had witnessed,” he said.
The tables were turned on the reporters as they took off from the scene accompanied by the man in the cap.
An unidentified woman turned the camera on them and began scolding them for their behaviour as the group made their way up Enmore Road.
“I’ll do exactly what you did to me, filming,” the woman says to them in the footage, posted to social media platform X.
She accused the reporting team of “divisive journalism”.
“Look at you in shame, look at your tails between your legs,” she said.
“You picked the wrong restaurant … to f---ing try this shit in.”
The footage ends in a scuffle as Gusmaroli is heard to say: “I’m not touching your phone so you don’t touch mine”.
A Cairo Takeaway employee reported the matter to local police.
“Officers attached to Inner West Police Area Command have conducted an investigation after a staff member at a cafe on Enmore Road, Newtown, reported she was allegedly intimidated by a customer,” a police spokesperson said.
“Following inquiries, no criminal offence has been identified.”
The man in the cap was identified by the restaurant in a social media post. His lawyers issued a response marked “Not For Publication” when this masthead contacted him with questions about the incident on Wednesday, and he otherwise failed to respond.
The Herald also contacted the Telegraph, including asking editor Ben English whether the restaurant’s version of events was accurate and who the story was commissioned by.
English and Gusmaroli both failed to respond.
Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik labelled the reports “deeply disturbing”.
“Such behaviour is reckless and irresponsible and I will be following up to ensure these complaints are being taken seriously,” he said.
“I call on anybody undertaking such reckless behaviour to stop and think about their actions.”
El Masry said his staff had been profoundly moved by the support they had received from customers and the broader community in the wake of the incident.
“Our small business, Cairo Takeaway, has proudly served the Sydney community for eight years, welcoming customers from all backgrounds and walks of life,” he said.
“We are immensely grateful for the thousands of messages of love, wellbeing and compassion.”
The restaurant has used its social media presence to advocate for Palestinians and had a mural painted on its wall by a local graffiti artist to show solidarity with people in Gaza.
“Our mission extends beyond hospitality and commerce – as global citizens we believe that our support and advocacy for the oppressed must never result in the suppression of others,” El Masry said.
“Our values are rooted in creating a safe, respectful environment where every one of our staff, community members and customers alike are treated with respect and dignity.”
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