EXCLUSIVE
The co-owner of a world-famous Australian bakery has issued a groveling apology after a private message was leaked in which he questioned Israel’s right to exist and claimed the hostages taken by Hamas were “lucky not to be corpses.”
Cameron Reid, who runs the wildly popular Lune Croissanterie with his sister Kate, shared a post on Instagram on Saturday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
A follower asked him, “Should Hamas release the hostages or does it not matter?”
Mr. Reid then launched into a tirade questioning Israel’s right to exist, accusing its people of enforcing apartheid and labeling the country a “violent colonial state.”
‘Should Israel exist? Should the Palestinian people become victims of the ongoing ethnic cleansing? Should Gaza have been blockaded for more than fifteen years?’ He wrote.
Cameron Reid (left) questioned whether the Israeli state should exist, claiming that the hostages snatched by Hamas terrorists were ‘lucky they weren’t corpses’
Hamas took nearly 230 hostages, including young children and the elderly, during the October 7 terrorist attack. Only four have been released so far. )
Mr. Reid launched into a tirade questioning Israel’s right to exist, accusing the Israeli people of enforcing apartheid and labeling the country a “violent colonial state.”
‘Should the Israeli people practice apartheid? Try again troll.
‘Israel is nothing more than a violent colonial state engaged in ethnic cleansing of the local population. Those hostages are lucky that they are still hostages and not corpses.’
Hamas took nearly 230 hostages, including young children and the elderly, during the October 7 terrorist attack. Only four have been released so far.
Mr Reid’s outburst was echoed by Jewish communities, with many calling for a boycott of the bakery.
“Questioning Israel’s right to exist is anti-Semitic, plain and simple,” said a Jewish community leader.
“Your comments weren’t just anti-Semitic – they were anti-human,” one social media user wrote.
Mr. Reid was so overwhelmed by criticism that he issued a groveling apology on Saturday.
“I understand if I get canceled now, I did it to myself,” he wrote.
‘I apologize if my private DM was offensive. I believe it is possible to be against a government’s actions, military position, and regional history without being against their religion or the general population.
“To be clear, I feel that Jewish people have contributed so much to humanity and I respect and appreciate Jews as a people and as a religious group. I am not anti-Semitic and do not tolerate violence.
“Like many others right now, I feel shocked and confused by the enormous death toll in the Gaza region, but I should not have let my fingers run away from the keyboard with me.
‘I’m now going to take some time off from work to research and learn. I apologize to anyone associated with me if they feel let down by my past communications.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Reid for further comment.
Originally opened in a hole-in-the-wall in Elwood in 2012, Kate Reid used her background in Formula 1 aerodynamics and pastry studies in Paris to produce buttery, flaky creations that have become a Melbourne institution
Customers outside the Lune Croissanterie wait in line to taste one of the world’s best croissants. It is now facing calls for a boycott among some members of the Jewish community
Many social media users vowed to avoid the cafe despite the apology.
‘I will never set foot in a Lune again!’ wrote one.
Another said: ‘Your apology is pathetic’.
A third added: ‘Some children held hostage cannot speak. How dare you say they are lucky to be alive.’
Mr Reid’s sister founded Lune Croissanterie in 2012, before joining the company a year later.
It has exploded in popularity and stores in Melbourne and Brisbane often have long queues outside.
In 2016, the New York Times asked whether Lune could lay claim to producing the world’s best croissant.