The owner of a taco restaurant located in Valence (Drôme) experienced a story that was unusual to say the least. Wednesday October 18, 2023, residents, alerted by the name of the sign, filmed the scene and posted it on social networks, before calling the police. They were worried due to an electrical outage which changed the name of the restaurant “Chamas tacos” in “Hamas tacos”. In view of the current context in Israel, the police went to the site to ask the manager to immediately turn off his neon under penalty of administrative closure. The manager, who was not present at the time of the incident, finally went to his restaurant to turn off the light sign. “This story is very serious, it goes too far. The C broke down months ago. We made an estimate to redo the entire facade in the coming months.”he explained Thursday October 19, 2023, to our colleagues at France 3.
The manager denied any political links
Surprised by the facts with which he was accused, the manager of the catering establishment clarified his position. “I didn’t know until now that ‘Hamas’ was a terrorist organization. It’s a sad coincidence, complete chance. We do business, not politics.”, he commented. When questioned, the town hall also wished to give its point of view on this matter. She said to herself “surprised that the restaurant owner didn’t see the problem coming” even though she confirmed feeling “reassured to learn that he is undertaking work”. The city’s communications manager confirmed the dispatch of a police team to the scene in the face of public emotion, as reported on October 19, BFM TV : “The police intervened because neighbors, customers or passers-by reported the problem”. However, he denies being behind this request. “At no time did an elected official, nor the mayor, send the municipal police”, he explained. Contacted byAFPthe restaurant group “Chamas Tacos” confirmed that repairs would take place quickly. According to BFMTVthe sign should be repaired on Friday before wider repair work by the end of the year.