Republican vice presidential nominee Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance outside the Primanti Bros restaurant in North Versailles, Pennsylvania after being barred from meeting Trump supporters inside, screen image via Anissa Zappala, X Twitter, September 28, 2024.
Primanti Bros, a Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain, has become the center of a political firestorm after refusing to serve Ohio Senator JD Vance.
The Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) is now calling for a nationwide boycott of the restaurant, comparing the incident to the segregationist policies of Jim Crow.
Sen. Vance arrived at the Primanti Bros to greet a group of Trump supporters. However, he was met with resistance from the restaurant’s staff.
An employee informed Vance’s campaign that it was “not a campaign stop” and that “JD’s not allowed in.” According to witnesses, the restaurant manager even threatened to call the police if Vance and his team did not leave.
The situation quickly turned contentious as supporters expressed their frustration, booing employees as they were escorted out of the establishment.
Outside, Vance’s supporters rallied, protesting the treatment of the senator.
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Following the incident, the restaurant was being bombarded on Yelp with an overwhelming flood of negative reviews.
Do you think they regret kicking JD Vance out of their restaurant yet?
They are getting pummeled on Yelp with thousands of negative reviews…. pic.twitter.com/FQCP4ZKNy3
— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) September 29, 2024
Primanti Bros has since issued a statement, attempting to downplay the situation as a misunderstanding. They claim that after an initial moment of confusion, Vance and his team were allowed inside, attributing the tense interaction to nerves from their staff due to the heavy presence of security.
Primanti Bros statement:
Primanti’s prides itself on being a staple of the Pittsburgh community and a proud American business that has hosted sitting presidents, politicians, and political candidates from across the spectrum for over 90 years.
Our doors are open to all patrons who wish to dine with us. Without any advance notice, today’s campaign stop caused some momentary confusion for our staff.
However, Senator Vance and his team were welcomed into our restaurant shortly after and engaged with our guests inside and on the property. Senator Vance’s supportive comments that our manager got a little nervous given the Secret Service, police, and crowd accurately reflect the nature of what occurred, and we are glad that it was resolved quickly.
However, Allegheny County GOP Chairman Sam DeMarco blasted the restaurant’s statement as inaccurate, asserting that Vance was only allowed inside to pay for other patrons’ meals and was never given the chance to fully engage with his supporters inside.
The Italian American Civil Rights League was swift in its condemnation, drawing comparisons between Vance’s treatment and the Jim Crow era, where African Americans were turned away from businesses based on race.
“Primanti Bros has given Italian Americans across this nation a bad name. Their refusal to serve JD Vance this weekend is reminiscent of Jim Crow,” said Mike Crispi, president of the IACRL, adding, “We would like to welcome Senator Vance to a true Italian Sunday Dinner!”
Below is the official statement from IACRL:
The Italian American Civil Rights League Condemns Primanti Bros for Discrimination
The Italian American Civil Rights League today issued a formal condemnation of the Primanti Bros restaurants for their disgraceful lack of hospitality to Senator JD Vance.
“Primanti Bros restaurants refused service to Senator JD Vance for no good reason,” said Mike Crispi, President of the Italian American Civil Rights League. “Sono una vergogna; they are a disgrace!” Crispi was referring to news reports that a Primanti Bros restaurant – one of several in a Pittsburgh-area chain of restaurants – refused to allow Vance to enter and even threatened to call the police if he tried.
“As a people, Italian-Americans are known for our hospitality,” Crispi said. “Primanti Bros tables should always be open to every American regardless of their political beliefs.” Crispi said the actions of Primanti Bros are reminiscent of Jim Crow America when Black Americans were turned away from the Woolworth’s lunch counter simply because of their race.
“Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and the Greensboro Four were heroes for their courageous work uniting Americans in every facet of civil life,” Crispi said. “The IACRL rejects any effort by an Italian-American business to divide and punish Americans for their political beliefs.” Crispi said the Primanti Bros incident is just the latest in a series of exclusionary efforts by corporate conglomerates to bully or threaten friends and staffers of President Trump merely for their political beliefs.
“This all started with Maxine Waters who called on left-wing activists to ‘confront’ Trump supports in restaurants and tell us we’re ‘not welcome anymore, anywhere’,” Crispi said. “Now Primanti Bros has taken it even further saying, ‘No shoes, no shirt, no conservatives’.”
Crispi went on to cite the Red Hen restaurant that denied service to Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“We can’t allow the behavior of Primanti Bros to leave a bad taste in the mouth of Senator Vance.” Crispi said. “It would be our honor to show him and his staff true Italian American hospitality.”
Crispi the IACRL would organize an authentic Italian-American dinner for Vance as soon as this Tuesday, following his debate in New York City.
BREAKING: Primanti Bros has given Italian Americans across this nation a bad name.
Their refusal to serve JD Vance this weekend is reminiscent of Jim Crow.@TheIACRL is calling for a Primanti boycott and we would like to welcome Senator Vance to a true Italian Sunday Dinner! pic.twitter.com/kGTLHLaWww
— Mike Crispi (@MikeCrispi) September 29, 2024
The post Primanti Bros Sparks Outrage Among Italian Americans After Refusing to Serve JD Vance – Italian Civil Rights League Compares Incident to Jim Crow, Calls for National Boycott appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
