Ottawa business owner pleads for 'understanding' following fundraiser controversy

Nasr Nasr says he and his business have become the target of online hate since a Dec. 8 event featuring an appearance by the mayor.

Published Dec 14, 2023 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 3 minute read

Nasr Nasr is the owner of Juice Dudez stores in Ottawa. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

An Ottawa juice bar owner says he inadvertently waded into the heated politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by inviting Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to a CHEO fundraiser.

Nasr Nasr, owner of Juice Dudez, says he and his business have become the target of online hate since a Dec. 8 fundraising event that featured an appearance by the mayor.

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The event sought to raise $10,000 for CHEO.

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“We always aimed to avoid political involvement, focusing solely on raising funds for CHEO,” Nasr wrote in an online plea for understanding. “Unfortunately, we were unaware of the complexities tied to the Gaza situation.”

Those opposed to his association with Sutcliffe, Nasr said, have given his business poor reviews online, called for a boycott of his juice bar and filled his inbox with hate.

In comments on his recent Instagram post, Nasr was pilloried for failing to take a public stand on Israel’s two-month military campaign against Gaza and for shaking hands with Sutcliffe, whom some regard as pro-Israeli.

Sutcliffe has mostly adopted a narrow, locally-focused approach to the Middle East conflict. He has condemned the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7 and said that Israel has the right to defend itself, but he has angered some by failing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the humanitarian crisis there.

“As mayor, I am focused on the people of Ottawa and doing everything possible to keep our community and our residents safe,” the mayor said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Sutcliffe has met with Palestinian families who have lost loved ones in Gaza and in mid-October co-ordinated an effort that resulted in more than 50 local faith leaders issuing a joint statement denouncing all forms of hate, discrimination and violence in the city.

“I will continue to do everything I can to ensure we are fighting back against rising hatred and racism until our community is safe for everyone,” Sutcliffe added in his Tuesday statement. “Every life matters. And everyone who has lost a loved one is suffering equally.”

Some Canadian municipalities, including Brampton, Ont. and Burnaby, B.C., have passed motions demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. The National Council of Canadian Muslims has called on all Canadian municipalities to follow suit.

Earlier this week, Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard added his voice to those seeking peace. He wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly asking the federal government to support calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

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“I believe that, in critical moments such as this, we need to use whatever influence we have to stand up for human rights and peace for all,” Menard wrote.

Nasr, a Lebanese-born entrepreneur, founded Juice Dudez four years ago and now has stores on Bank Street and Richmond Road. The stores sell smoothies, juices, desserts, waffles, crepes, gelato and coffee.

Nasr said he had personal opinions about the terrible situation in Gaza, but he did not want politics to be part of his business.

“Our personal opinions about what’s happening in Palestine has nothing to do with Juice Dudez,” he said. “Juice Dudez will never, ever be bullied into talking about politics. We’re here to make people happy and healthier.”

That stand, however, has not satisfied his online critics.

“This isn’t a political issue like you have implied: it’s a humanitarian crisis,” Ibrahim Helmy told Nasr on Instagram. “Canada today supports and personally funds the ethnic cleansing of an entire nation. It is your moral duty as a Canadian and as an Arab to speak out against this. Staying ‘not political’ is an unacceptable stance.”

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Said another critic identifying herself as Maya: “The children of Gaza didn’t decide to ‘get political.’ You can’t pick and choose what is political and what’s not based on your personal gain.”

Nasr has also received many personal messages of support. Said one: “I feel so strongly about what’s happening in Palestine, I can’t even sleep, but boycotting our own people with no good reason is the last thing we need.”

Nasr invited any of his critics to come to his store so he could make them a hot chocolate and talk.

Andrew Duffy is a National Newspaper Award-winning reporter and long-form feature writer based in Ottawa. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe