The owner of a Sydney cafe has come under fire for posts on social media that have raised a few eyebrows.
Mark Da Costa, who runs the vegan eatery Hale & Hearty, believes he is the victim of a smear campaign from the 'left wing fake vegan community' for his public support of Donald Trump and Pauline Hanson.
Political polarisation couldn't be higher as Americans are just one day away from the Presidential election, which continues to be extremely fractious.
Advert
Da Costa says the vitriol started when he made comments about Trump and the upcoming election on his personal social media pages, which were picked up by a user and posted on other vegan pages.
He wrote on Instagram: "Since that post... my business and family have received hundreds of threats and vulgar messages from both the vegan and gay community who have labelled the business racist amongst other deplorable things for the posts and for being Trumpions."
The owner has since started posting similar remarks on Hart & Hearty's official social media pages and has declared the cafe to be a pro-Trump safe space.
Advert
"Who we privately support should have never crossed over into the brand, but it did. So now we must stand against these haters and trolls and remain united and calm," he added.
"Win or lose it has been a tremendous year for us all and one we will never forget. Tonight I received many a message of support, and others who just said R.I.P. (Nope) we won't lay down and roll over for the new wave of keyboard warriors."
He was supported by some in the community for exercising his right to free speech, however was also criticised for making some derogatory comments using the cafe's official social media page.
A story posted to Hart & Hearty's Instagram account said the cafe was a 'straight safe zone', and the cafe used homophobic and offensive slurs when replying to people's angry comments.
Advert
Da Costa has hit back at his detractors and told News Corp: "We've always supported the gay and LGBT community. When they were hosting the plebiscite we posted, 'yes we support you'."
Despite being criticised for his comments, Da Costa believed it's better to be upfront about his feelings.
In a video posted to social media, the cafe owner said: "Hey guys how you doing? It's Mark here, the most racist vegan on the planet, here to tell you today we are doing $10 plant based pancakes.
"So if you want Sydney's best pancakes with a side of racism, come and see us."
Featured Image Credit: Hart & Hearty/Instagram
