Sydney restaurateur Al Yazbek charged with displaying Nazi symbol apologises and denies he is an anti-Semite

The Sydney restaurateur charged with displaying a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine rally has apologised ‘unreservedly’ and denied he is an anti-Semite.

‘Olive branch’: Sydney restaurateur Al Yazbek. Picture: Petrina Tinslay

After four days of silence, a Sydney restaurateur charged with displaying a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine rally has apologised “unreservedly” and denied he is an anti-Semite.

Mass cancellations have been reported at Al Yazbek’s upmarket restaurants Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne and Reine & La Rue, with major corporations confirming they have cancelled events following Mr Yazbek’s ­arrest at Sydney’s pro-Palestine rally on Sunday where he allegedly displayed a swastika symbol.

On Friday afternoon, Mr Yazbek issued an apology in which he said he would do all he could to regain the trust of his staff, customers and the broader community.

“I apologise unequivocally for my actions at the demonstration on Sunday where I carried a sign that is deeply offensive to the Jewish community,” Mr Yazbek wrote in a statement.

“Friends and acquaintances who know me – both Jewish and gentile – know that I am not an anti-Semite, and they also know how passionate I am about supporting diversity and equality in both my personal life and within the Nomad Group of businesses.

“Like a great many, I am traumatised daily by the ongoing bloodshed in the Middle East – within Israel, in Palestine and now in Lebanon. We must make it stop. To the wider Jewish community, and in particular my Jewish friends, staff and guests of Nomad both past and present, I offer an olive branch of peace and love. Salam Alaykum (Peace be upon you).”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin slammed Mr Yazbek’s apology. “No doubt he has found that displaying racist placards and posing with a mock Hezbollah flag isn’t good for business and has shifted to damage control,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“Members of the community will reach their own conclusions as to the sincerity or otherwise of his statement, but I certainly wouldn’t set foot in any of his ­establishments.

“I’m sure every self-respecting Jew will take a similar view.”

The Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association confirmed on Friday that the Nomad Group would be removed from its organisation. “There is no place in the hospitality industry for racism and anti-Semitism, and the ARCA board has begun the process, per the ARCA constitution, to revoke Nomad’s membership,” a spokesman said.

Mr Yazbek founded Nomad Group with his wife Rebecca Yazbek, and opened popular restaurants Nomad Sydney in Surry Hills in 2013 and Nomad Melbourne in 2021 before expanding to Reine & La Rue.

Reine & La Rue, which opened in 2023 and is located in the grand Cathedral Room in what was Melbourne’s original stock exchange on the corner of Queen and Collins streets, won the best new restaurant award at The Age Good Food Guide awards this year. On Friday Mr Yazbek’s ­venues were dropped from both The Age and Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guides.

“We know this decision will ­affect the staff at these restaurants, and that saddens us,” Good Food head Sarah Norris said. “But we feel in light of the recent news, we can’t recommend these ­venues to our readers.”

Following his arrest on Sunday, Mr Yazbek was taken to Surry Hills police station where he was charged with knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public. The 56-year-old was granted bail and will face court on October 24. Following the charges, a GH Mumm spokesman confirmed the champagne house had decided to end its partnership with Reine & La Rue. Goldman Sachs also said it had cancelled an event.