California deli branded 'racist' after launching 'send her back' special

A deli-owner has been blasted and accused of 'racism' after they offered a free side dish to customers who said 'send her back' while ordering.

John Canesa, who is the owner of Canesa's Brooklyn Heroes in Clayton, shared a divisive status on his personal Facebook page, in which he described the special, reports the New York Post.

In the post, he allegedly wrote:

Meatballs made with beef today in case we offend any of you overly sensitive pork haters!! Free side when you say ‘send her back'.

'Send her back' appears to refer to the president's rally in North Carolina last week, during which Trump supporters chanted 'send her back' as he attacked congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

The chant came after the president shared a 'racist' tweet, suggesting that four Congresswomen of colour should be 'sent back' to their countries of origin, despite the fact they're all American citizens. The comments were aimed at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar.

At the White House the following day, Trump said he 'disagreed' with it, and that he was 'not happy with it'. He also claimed that he 'started speaking very quickly', in order to halt the chant.

After making the special offer, Canesa told KTVU that he had been dealing with threats. His Facebook page has since been made private, or deleted, reports the Daily Mail.

The business has also been bombarded with negative reviews on Yelp since the offer was revealed, too.

Taking to the platform, one user wrote:

I will not support racism, bigotry, sexism, or any form of hatred with my hard earned money. I'm all done with this place.

Another added:

Food was always fair at best; Owner is racist jackass-STAY AWAY.

The mayor of Clayton, Tuija Catalano, also weighed in, adding:

I am very saddened to have seen a FB post by the owner of local deli this morning. We all have rights to our own political, religious, and other opinions. We all have a right to post about them too.

She continued:

However, there is no place in our community for hatred and bigotry. When hateful comments are being promoted as part of a local business, they reflect on our community's reputation. 

As an elected official, who is also a woman and foreign-born, I personally find a comment about sending anyone back over their political opinions unacceptable.

HT New York Post

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