A 19-year-old trainee barista at The Coffee Cup cafe in Hampstead, north London, was dismissed on the spot after a Jewish customer reported seeing a swastika-shaped design in the cocoa powder froth on his wife's cappuccino, as reported by UK outlet Jewish News.
The customer, a 45-year-old father of two who wished to remain anonymous, told Jewish News that he and his wife were enjoying a casual outing when the drink arrived. "My wife ordered a cappuccino, and when it arrived, I saw it and said, ‘Surely that is a swastika?’" he recounted.
Not wanting to cause a scene, he quietly alerted the manager, Bekim Haradini, pointing out that the family is visibly Jewish and found the symbol deeply offensive.
Haradini, the general manager, immediately investigated, took a photograph of the drink, and apologized profusely to the couple. "This has never happened before. I was really upset. I fired him," Haradini said, adding that the barista, reportedly named Mesut, began crying and shaking but was let go regardless.
He stressed his intent to show Jewish customers that such acts would not be tolerated, stating, "I did take immediate action. I kicked him out straight away."
The barista claimed the design was unintentional and that he was unaware of the swastika's historical significance as a Nazi symbol associated with the Holocaust.
