Prominent Sydney restaurateur Alan Yazbek, the owner of the Nomad restaurant group in Surry Hills, has been arrested following a pro-Palestine protest over the weekend. The 56-year-old faces serious charges under New South Wales law for allegedly knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public.
The arrest follows a large rally in Sydney that attracted around 10,000 participants advocating for Palestine. Eyewitness accounts indicate that Yazbek was seen holding a sign that altered the Israeli flag, substituting the Star of David with a swastika, and included the phrase “Stop Nazi Israel.”
According to authorities, Yazbek, who has been taken to the Surry Hills police station, is being charged for displaying the symbol “without excuse.” He is set to appear in the Downing Centre local court on October 24. The public display of Nazi symbols has been prohibited in New South Wales since 2022.
Yazbek, who co-founded the Nomad Group with his wife Rebecca, opened their flagship restaurant Nomad in Sydney in 2013. The group later expanded with Nomad Melbourne in 2021 and added Reine & La Rue in 2023. They also launched a sibling restaurant, Beau, in Sydney earlier this year, although it has since closed.
In a statement to the Daily Telegraph, Yazbek conveyed his profound concern for the lives lost in the ongoing conflict, noting, “So many of us have family in the region. Every loss of life is a tragedy. We’re in mourning.”
As discussions around the protests deepen, NSW Premier Chris Minns highlighted the financial burden of policing these demonstrations, estimating costs to the state at around $5 million this year, and suggested that law enforcement should have the ability to shut down such events. The protests have spurred from the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which prompted Israel’s military response in Gaza.
As the anniversary of the attacks approaches, tension surrounding the protests has increased. While NSW police sought a supreme court injunction to stop the demonstrations, a consensus was ultimately reached with protest organizers to allow them to proceed. Police officials expressed satisfaction with the peaceful nature of the large gathering.
Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna remarked on the extensive planning that went into the event, stating that the police worked closely with partner agencies to ensure a robust and effective operation across Sydney’s CBD.
This report has been updated to correct an earlier inaccuracy regarding Alan Yazbek’s background, which misidentified him as Jewish according to incorrect information provided by NSW authorities.
