A high-profile restaurateur walked away without conviction after holding an anti-Israel sign with a swastika during a heated demonstration on the eve of the anniversary of the deadly Hamas attacks.
Alan Yazbek pleaded guilty to displaying the Nazi symbol during a pro-Palestine demonstration in Sydney’s Hyde Park on October 6.
The co-owner of the Nomad Restaurant Group appeared at Downing Center Local Court on Tuesday, where he was granted 12 months’ probation without conviction.
Magistrate Miranda Moody said she accepted Yazbek deeply regretted his actions and was not a “neo-Nazi or right-wing extremist”.
The homemade sign displayed the words “stop Nazi Israel” and carried the colors of the Israeli flag with a swastika in place of the Star of David.
When approached by police officers during the protest, Yazbek described the image as an “Israeli swastika,” according to court documents.
The 56-year-old, born in Lebanon, was also photographed on the same day holding a flag with colors matching those of the militant group Hezbollah, which is on Australia’s list of terrorist organisations.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Yazbek’s lawyer, Phillip English, presented documents on her behalf, including a written apology, letters of support from Jewish friends and copies of media articles.
Alan Yazbek (pictured on Tuesday) pleaded guilty to displaying the Nazi symbol during a pro-Palestine demonstration in Sydney’s Hyde Park on October 6.
Alan Yazbek (wearing a black cap and holding a sign) appears at a protest in Sydney. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest wrongdoing by others in the photograph
“It has received some media attention,” Mr. English said of the case.
Following Yazbek’s guilty plea, his wife and business partner Rebecca Yazbek said she would no longer be involved in managing Nomad’s operations, citing negative reaction from the public and the hospitality industry.
The company operates the critically acclaimed Nomad restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, where it also owns the French-themed Reine & La Rue.
In an earlier statement, Yazbek apologized and acknowledged that his actions were “deeply offensive to the Jewish community.”
“Friends and acquaintances who know me, both Jews and Gentiles, know that I am not anti-Semitic,” he said.
Yazbek added that he felt traumatized every day by the current bloodshed in the Middle East.
‘Inside Israel, in Palestine and now in Lebanon. “We must make this stop,” he said.
“To the Jewish community at large, and in particular to my Nomad Jewish friends, staff and guests, both past and present, I offer an olive branch of peace and love.”
Nomad Restaurant Group co-owner appeared in Downing Center Local Court
Yazbek was among thousands of people who attended the rally in the city center, which was held one day before the anniversary of the deadly October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas.
He was arrested and charged with knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public without reasonable excuse, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison or an $11,000 fine.
The laws were passed by state parliament in 2022 with unanimous support in response to what were said at the time to be rising cases of anti-Semitism.