Protesters gather at Williamsburg location of coffee chain that banned Rep. Dan Goldman over his Israel stance

Around 65 protesters and counter-protesters gathered outside the Williamsburg location of Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn on Wednesday after the chain banned U.S. Representative Dan Goldman over his Israel stance. The demonstrations followed days after a now-deleted Instagram post allegedly showed Goldman in the Park Slope café and said he was not welcome back, adding that the café did not serve “genocide enablers” and had refunded his order. On Wednesday morning, Business Insider reported that NYPD officers used barricades to separate groups as chants were shouted through microphones and megaphones. The protest, organized by the Jewish advocacy group #EndJewHatred, included speakers urging Poetica to apologize and referenced a U.S. Justice Department civil-rights investigation. Elsewhere, counter-protesters displayed signs condemning Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Federal scrutiny stems from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division inquiry, citing laws barring public companies from discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin. Poetica did not immediately respond to comment requests.