Defence contractor sacked over threat to bomb Burgertory shop
A bomb threat against a pro-Palestinian activist has cost a man working for a defence firm his job.
An employee at a defence contracting firm has been sacked after making an alleged bomb threat towards a restaurant belonging to popular pro-Palestinian activist Hash Tayeh.
Mr Tayeh, who is the subject of a high profile unprecedented anti-Zionist legal action case by Victoria Police, has claimed a win over defence service provider BiORG after the company rushed to sack its consultant for posting a threatening message on social media.
BiORG, a Canberra-based company that oversees project and engineering management and provides logistical support services for the ADF, was this week forced to terminate the contract of its army veteran-turned-defence industry expert Guy Langford after he allegedly suggested placing a bomb outside one of Mr Tayeh’s Burgertory restaurants.
The ordeal unfolded when Mr Langford commented on a social media post that suggested Mr Tayeh’s Burgertory restaurant was set up next to a “rent-a-bomb” car hire business in Tullamarine.
Mr Langford said: “Maybe park a couple of b0mb$ out the front of his store”. The comment was soon picked up by others online who praised the idea and suggested it be implemented.
Quickly to take to his more than 16,000 followers on social media was Mr Tayeh, accusing the consultant of “threatening terrorism” against him and his family while calling out Victoria Police and the AFP for not taking immediate action.
Mr Langford then rushed to scrub his social media platforms and deleted his LinkedIn account, but not before his employer instructed him to remove the post.
After being inundated with emails from Mr Tayeh’s supporters, BiORG responded by declaring they had terminated his contract.
Victoria Police confirmed they were investigating the alleged bomb threat, while no arrest was made.
Mr Tayeh told The Australian he has become the subject of anti-Palestinian racism since advocating for Palestinian rights at Melbourne rallies.
“While it’s true that anti-Semitism is on the rise, so too is anti-Palestinian racism — and both must be addressed with the same urgency and seriousness if we are to preserve social cohesion and equality in our society,” Mr Tayeh said.
“We cannot wait for tragedy to strike. If we continue to ignore threats and vilify entire communities, one day someone will act on that hate — and by then, it will be too late.”
In a statement to The Australian, BiORG Chief Executive Doug Phillips confirmed Mr Langford's contract was terminated, adding the comments he made were in breach of their policies and did not align with company values.
“BiORG has terminated the employment of a staff member still under probation, for social media comments that breach our policies and do not align with our values,” Mr Phillips said.
“We took immediate action once we became aware of the comments, standing the staff member down as we investigated an apparent breach of our social media policy.
“The employee’s conduct was deemed unsuitable for employment with our business, and their probationary employment was terminated.”
The AFP, which also received a report about the alleged threat via the National Security Hotline, declined to comment.
Mr Langford could not be reached for comment.
Mr Langford’s LinkedIn profile, which has now been removed, said that he spent more than two decades in the army as an arms specialist repairing and modifying a wide range of military weapons systems “from 9mm handguns to 155mm artillery systems”.
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