An Iranian restaurant owner says he’s received a death threat after he placed United States and Israel flags on the floor of his Hutt Valley eatery for customers to walk on.
Tensions over the flags have reached a boiling point, with other members of New Zealand’s Iranian community confronting Alex Aragon at his Persian restaurant, Banoo.
After footage of one altercation at the restaurant last Wednesday was filmed and posted to social media, Aragon said he closed Banoo over fears for his safety.
The US and Israel attacks started on February 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and prompted an ongoing war in the Middle East.
Aragon said eight of his civilian family members were killed in the attacks.
On March 18, a group of six Iranians who support the Pahlavi Iran movement came to Aragon’s restaurant, which had the US and Israeli flags on the floor.
A separate supporter of the Pahlavi movement has also written to Immigration New Zealand wanting Aragon’s refugee status reviewed.
The Pahlavi movement opposes the Islamic Regime and advocates for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late Shah of Iran, who has cast himself as a transitional leader for a secular, democratic Iran.
The group had come from Auckland to protest outside the Iranian embassy in Wellington earlier that day. They then showed up at the Lower Hutt city centre restaurant wearing shirts with Pahlavi’s face on them.
Security footage seen by the Herald showed the group approaching the establishment and peering into the entrance.
Aragon said the group confronted him about his flags and claimed he supported the “terrorist” Islamic Regime.
Soli Moh, a woman who was part of the group, told the Herald they were offended by Aragon’s flag placements.
The Islamic Regime had killed protesters, caused an internet blackout, and had severely limited women’s rights, she said.
“Israel and the United States ... they love Iranian people, they are with Iranian people,” she said.
Moh claimed Aragon became aggressive when they criticised him, screaming at the group, filming them and repeatedly telling them to “f*** off”.
Moh said she did not know who Aragon was before visiting his restaurant, while Aragon believed the group knew of him and “planned” to confront him.
Aragon told the Herald he put the flags on the ground to show his opposition to foreign interference and the recent strikes in Iran.
He hung the flag of Iran on the wall, which he said represented his love for his people, not for the Islamic Regime, which he said he did not support.
Images of the restaurant from the Wednesday incident showed Aragon also displayed a picture of Khamenei in the restaurant.
When the Herald visited the restaurant the next day, the Iranian flag was still displayed but Khamenei’s picture and the other flags were gone.
Wednesday’s stoush was the second at Banoo this month, with Aragon saying he was confronted by a woman who criticised his flags on March 15.
Security footage showed the woman and Aragon both filming each other while arguing. The woman then appeared to try to hit Aragon’s phone out of his hand, after which he pushed her away.
Inspector Shaun Lingard said police were aware of recent incidents and working to understand what happened, including speaking with community leaders.
“We ask the community to remain calm, be respectful, and to look out for each other.”
Lingard said police would not tolerate unlawful behaviour and enforcement action would be taken where possible.
Banoo Persian Restaurant’s Google reviews have been flooded with hundreds of one-star ratings from people all over the world since video of the recent altercation spread online.
Aragon said his phone number had been widely shared online and he was constantly receiving calls from local and international numbers.
During his interview with the Herald, Aragon’s phone rang more than 10 times with calls from unknown numbers.
He showed the Herald transcriptions of voicemails he had received from these numbers, which included vulgar threats towards his family members.
Aragon claimed he found a note on his car on Thursday that threatened him and his family.
“You and your family will death,” the note said, with a picture of a hangman. The note was signed off with “S.o.S”.
SOS Iran is an organisation that opposes the Islamic Republic in Iran.
Aragon said he had placed the flags inside his restaurant’s premises and customers did not have to step on the flags, or enter his restaurant, if they did not want to.
“If you don’t like my place or what I do, you can just turn back and just walk away.”
Criminal defence lawyer and Pahlavi supporter Hussain Sabori said he believed Aragon’s conduct was “absolutely disgusting”.
Sabori, who wasn’t involved with the visit to the restaurant but knows the group which did, lodged a complaint against Aragon with the Human Rights Commission.
While New Zealand law does not prohibit disrespecting other countries’ flags, Sabori said he believed placing flags at the entrance of a business may breach the Human Rights Act and the Bill of Rights, if stepping on them was a condition of entry.
Section 44 of the Human Rights Act prevents businesses from discriminating against customers in retail settings. Prohibited grounds of discrimination include political and religious belief.
Another lawyer and member of New Zealand’s Iranian community, Samira Taghavi, separately wrote a letter to immigration authorities earlier this month asking the agency to investigate Aragon’s refugee status, as well as expressing concern over the flags’ placement.
Aragon, who immigrated to New Zealand close to a decade ago, declined to discuss his refugee status and said any investigation would find he had done nothing wrong.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.