Burgess also downplayed its significance, stating it wasn’t a priority.
Australia’s top intelligence official has criticised an alleged attempt by News Corp staff to provoke anti-Semitic remarks at a Middle Eastern restaurant, calling it “mind-blowingly stupid” during a Senate estimates hearing on Feb. 25.
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess was questioned by Greens Senator David Shoebridge about the reported incident at Cairo Takeaway in Newtown, Sydney.
Police were called after a confrontation involving the restaurant’s staff, News Corp journalists, and a man wearing a Star of David cap.
Restaurant owner Hesham El Masry accused the group of attempting to provoke an anti-Semitic reaction from his staff while Daily Telegraph reporters were present. El Masry and his restaurant have been outspoken in their support for Palestine on social media.
Shoebridge, describing the event as a “Daily Terror sting attack,” asked Burgess whether he believed it was simply a case of poor judgment or something more sinister.
Burgess responded bluntly, “If a media organisation is going to set something up to provoke, to get a headline, that is mind-blowingly stupid.”
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He added, “If there’s some sinister, well-planned, plotted, approved-from-the-top-of-the-organisation effort to do that, I think that is completely wrong. It should not happen.”
He stressed that his remarks reflected his personal view but suggested law enforcement could examine whether any action was warranted. “I’m hoping there is something law enforcement can do to deal with matters like that,” he said.
Shoebridge pushed Burgess on whether his characterisation of the incident as merely “stupid” downplayed its significance, given the level of preparation that reportedly went into the effort.
“In this case, there were photographers, multiple efforts to record it, a mic, a camera person, and a relatively senior reporter—this wasn’t an accidental moment of stupidity,” Shoebridge said. “This was a planned act of division on the streets of Sydney.”
Burgess declined to speculate on the matter, stating he did not have all the details.
“You’re asking me to speculate on something that you’ve drawn a conclusion on,” he said. “I do not have the full facts in front of me, so I’m not going to speculate.”
While acknowledging that ASIO was aware of the incident, Burgess downplayed its broader significance in the intelligence landscape.
“Do I have multiple media agencies doing such things? No,” he said. “So in terms of the weight, where we need to make priority decisions, this isn’t one of them.”
However, Shoebridge challenged that response, arguing that when a major media outlet actively engages in actions that fuel division, it should be a concern for ASIO.
Confrontation at Cairo Takeaway
Despite the altercation, The Daily Telegraph has not published any articles about it.
Editor Ben English later stated that, like other media, the paper had been reporting on the rise of anti-Semitism and investigating its impact on Sydney’s Jewish community.
“The Telegraph never intended to provoke an incident at the Cairo Takeaway restaurant in Enmore, which was one of multiple venues across Sydney we visited, nor to report that its staff are anti-Semitic,” he said.
“The Daily Telegraph acknowledges our approach could have been better handled.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke condemned the incident, saying that if the restaurant’s version was accurate, it was “appalling.”
“Deliberately provoking people in some pathetic game to try and get a reaction is irresponsible and runs counter to the national interest,” he said.
Jewish Man’s Version of Events
However, the Jewish man at the centre of the altercation rejected the restaurant’s account as “wholly incorrect” and “scandalously false.”
In a legal letter sent to the Takeaway through his solicitor Rebekah Giles, he demanded the deletion of “false claims” on the restaurant’s social media pages, including that he had taunted staff and said, “I hope your restaurant gets blown up.”
The letter, published across media, claimed he had simply entered the restaurant, ordered a drink, and engaged in brief conversation before tensions escalated.
According to his version, he thanked the staff as he left, but a female worker responded in a “surly tone.” When he asked if everything was alright, she did not reply.
He then asked about the drink’s ingredients, to which the worker answered, but shortly afterward, a Telegraph employee questioned her about her apparent discomfort with the man’s presence.
The man alleged that the staff then accused him of trying to provoke an anti-Semitic outburst and called him an “idiot.”
He further claimed that the staff became “aggressive and heated,” swore at him, and threatened to call the police.
He said he and the Telegraph reporters attempted to leave, but the restaurant workers followed them up the street.
