Woman who performed Nazi salute at protest is unmasked as owner of two kosher cafés inside Jewish hospital

A woman who was caught giving Nazi salutes and making anti-Jewish threats at a pro-Palestine demonstration has been exposed as the owner of two kosher cafes at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada.

Mallie Mai Abdulhadi, 39, was shockingly caught on camera giving the Sieg Heil salute to pro-Israel counter-protesters during last Thursday’s protest at her alma mater Concordia University.

She tried to protect her identity with a keffiyeh – a traditional Palestinian scarf – as well as a medical mask and sunglasses, but this was revealed when she taunted the opposing party.

Abdulhadi warned them in the video: “The final solution is coming your way. The final solution. Do you know what the final solution is? Do you know what the Final Solution is?’

The Final Solution was the Nazi plan for the deliberate and systematic mass murder of Jews during World War II – it took place from 1941 to 1945 and saw the vast majority of Jewish victims murdered.

Abdulhadi was quickly identified on social media as one of the owners of the Second Cup Café franchises in two pavilions of the Jewish General Hospital – both cafés are certified kosher, according to the Jewish Community Council of Montreal.

The cafe’s supervisory company, Second Cup Canada, confirmed that Abdulhadi was “filmed making hateful comments and gestures” and that the company has “zero tolerance for hate speech” on Saturday.

In a statement, the company explained: ‘In consultation with the hospital, we have closed the franchisee’s cafe and are terminating their franchise agreement.

Abdulhadi was originally covered in a keffiyeh – a traditional Palestinian scarf, but was exposed when she taunted the opposition

“This franchisee’s actions are not only a violation of our franchise agreement, but they also violate the values ​​of inclusivity and community that we stand for at Second Cup.”

Parent company Foodtastic said on Sunday

In a statement, the Jewish General Hospital said: “We fully support Second Cup’s decision to take swift and decisive action in this matter by closing the franchisee’s cafes and terminating their lease.”

Abdulhadi had owned the Second Cup franchises since about 2015. In the company’s annual report that year, she is pictured with Sabih Abdulhadi and Karen Diaz – the three were identified as ‘franchisees’.

A hospital worker told DailyMail.com that he was surprised to hear about Abdulhadi’s actions during the protest: ‘What she did during the protest was just stupid on so many levels.’

Another hospital worker said she stopped patronizing the cafe months ago when she noticed Abdulhadi’s expressions of support for Palestine.

“This is an inclusive hospital and she is entitled to her opinion, but I felt like I had the right not to support her business.”

Amir Epstein, executive director of the Jewish civil rights group Tafsik, told DailyMail.com that Abdulhadi “experienced something she probably never expected: responsibility.”

The café’s supervisory company, Second Cup Canada, confirmed that Abdulhadi was “filmed making hateful comments and gestures” and that the company has “zero tolerance for hate speech” on Saturday.

Abdulhadi was pictured in the Second Cup 2015 annual report, along with fellow franchisees Karen Diaz and Sabih Abdulhadi

The cafes’ parent company, Foodtastic, said Sunday that it will “retain and continue to pay cafe staff until the Jewish General Hospital location reopens under new management.”

‘This is a clear example of someone who believes he can openly call for genocide against the Jewish people and give the Hitler salute without receiving any response.

“Even more shocking is the fact that she owned a kosher second cup at the Jewish hospital! How morally depraved and parasitic can you be?’

Epstein has no confidence that Abdulhadi will be prosecuted, saying: “The police show little interest in enforcing the law. They can learn a thing or two from Second Cup Canada, which took immediate action and terminated Ms. Abdulhadi’s contract.

“We hope that police in Montreal will take up this simple case and lay charges against Mai Abdulhadi for her Nazi hate crime parade.”

In Canada, giving the Nazi salute is not a criminal offence, but can contribute to a charge of ‘public incitement to hatred’ or ‘intentional promotion of hatred’; Both crimes carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Montreal police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc told DailyMail.com on Sunday that no investigation was underway as of Friday afternoon, but the hate crime unit encouraged witnesses and victims to come forward and file complaints.

Canadian politicians and advocates applauded the coffee shop chain’s response but urged police to serve justice in connection with this “hate crime.”

Idit Shamir, the Israeli Consul General in Toronto, shared this X: “Imagine chanting “The Final Solution is coming” and throwing a Nazi salute at @Concordia – while running a cafe at the Jewish General Hospital, a place built by Holocaust survivors.

Quebec Senator Leo Housakos posted on

Employees at the Jewish General Hospital expressed shock at Abdulhadi’s actions, but one employee said she had not been to her cafe in months after noticing the owner’s expressions of support for Palestine.

‘ Hate speech is not only despicable, it is also a threat. And there will be consequences for that.’

Senator Leo Housakos of Quebec praised Second Cup for taking a “principled stand that puts their own business at risk” and said he hopes “everyone buys their coffee at @SecondCupCanada tomorrow!”

Paul Hirschson, Consul General of Israel in Montreal, reported X: ‘All praise for a great company. I’m going to make it a point to visit more often. Thank you.’

The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs said further X that Abdulhadi’s “public hate speech, incitement to violence and threatening to kill Jews on the streets of Montreal in 2024 requires a strong and immediate response from law enforcement.” Enough is enough!’

According to her LinkedIn profile, Abdulhadi graduated from Concordia University in 2006 with a marketing degree and then spent more than a year at Canada’s Corus Entertainment before landing roles at three foreign companies, including a development consultancy based in Ramallah, Palestine.

She changed her now-deleted Facebook profile photo to plain black on Friday and wrote “kulshi tamam” – an Arabic phrase that roughly translates to “everything is wonderful.”

Abdulhadi did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com.