Video capturing a Brisbane McDonald's employee telling two Jewish customers to "free Palestine" has led to her removal from the work schedule, according to the Daily Mail.
Customers Asaf and Matan say the worker grew "abusive" as the situation, which took place Tuesday night at Cannon Hill in eastern Brisbane, escalated. A missing Quarter Pounder set off the dispute. The men returned to the drive-thru window seeking the item, only for the worker to claim it had already been included.
About a minute in, the worker cut off the exchange to ask the customer where he was from, according to the footage. One of the men said he is originally from Israel, though he currently lives in the suburb of Carina. To that, the employee shot back, "Free Palestine." After she was asked what she meant by that, the employee doubled down on her statement, saying, "Free, free Palestine."
Just another fast food worker deciding to Free Palestine herself out of a job no doubt.
This time in Brisbane, Australia - because the brain rot has gone global. pic.twitter.com/L5vWI8xzju— David Lange (@Israellycool) August 23, 2026
Speaking to the Courier Mail on Sunday, Asaf described feeling "shaken" by what happened. According to him, the worker allegedly branded the pair "baby killers" and accused them of inventing the missing-item complaint.
Pending an internal investigation, the worker was stood down, a McDonald's Australia representative confirmed, per the Daily Mail. "As soon as we were made aware, we took immediate action and the employee has been stood down pending the outcome of our investigation," she said, adding: "McDonald's sincerely apologises to the customers for their experience."
Addressing the company's stance on the incident, the spokesperson added: "McDonald's has a zero-tolerance policy for acts of hate and antisemitism in our restaurants and communities."
For Asaf, the suspension brought some measure of relief: "I think it's good that they are taking care of that. I'm not scared, but I don't feel comfortable coming to this place."
This marked the 100th antisemitism report logged in 2026 by the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies.
