Mumbai: "Hitler's Cross" restaurant to change its name

Six days after its opening, protests from the Jewish community have convinced the owner to change the restaurant's name.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) – A new restaurant called "Hitler's Cross" in Khargar, a satellite township of Mumbai, did not even last a week, immediately drawing the ire of the small Jewish community in Maharashtra State.

Its owner, Punit Shablok, today met members of the Mumbai community and said he would change the name of his restaurant although he did not reveal what the new theme would be.

Opened on 18 August, the restaurant is decorated with swastikas and posters of Nazist propaganda. At the door, there is a portrait of Hitler addressing the crowds in Nuremberg.

The circa 5,000 Jewish residents of the state have pitted themselves against the restaurants and its owner who they accused of anti-Semitism.

Jonathan Solomon, chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation, said: "We are going to stop this deification of Hitler, one of the worst criminals known to man."

Daniel Zonshine, Israel's consul general in Mumbai, said: "I have been receiving calls from Jews across the world. The anger of our community against this eatery should be taken into account."

Even Walter Stechl, the German consul general, voiced his disapproval. "Perhaps the owner does not fully understand Hilter's atrocities. I have asked him in a letter to change the name of his restaurant and have sent him a brief history of the period."

He added: "I also sent a book on the Germany of today, which may offer better ideas for a thematic restaurant."

• India
• mumbai
• jews
• nazism
• cross
• hitler
• restaurant
• protests