Meet Michael Valentine.
A Salt Lake City guy who looks like he is more into LSD than LDS, Michael owns the Weathered Waves Bar and is involved in other pursuits like founding a non-profit dedicated to historic preservation and restoration throughout Utah, making cider… and banning “Zionists” from his establishment.
A Salt Lake City bar owner is banning Zionists from his establishment, a move he describes as an update to his business policy to prohibit hate speech. Critics, however, argue that this action infringes upon civil liberties.
The post was made several days ago when Weathered Waves Bar owner Michael Valentine made an Instagram post headlined “No Zionists Allowed.”
“A lot of our customers are marginalized individuals who are fearful of their surroundings, and Palestinians, in particular, are very concerned,” Valentine said. “Zionism is not a protected class, it’s an ideology the same way white supremacy is an ideology, the same way neo-Nazi-ism is.”
He insists that the bar remains inclusive, emphasizing that the policy revision aims to eliminate all forms of hate speech, not just specific instances.
Valentine said that the ban does not target individuals based on their religion and that Jewish patrons are still welcome. Despite that, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, which recently issued Valentine a license, has alerted the Attorney General’s office to investigate potential violations of discrimination laws.
Their statement reads:
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services is aware that a licensed bar has shared messages to their social media pages stating denial of service to ‘Zionists’. We have received several comments from members of the public with concerns regarding the business’ public statements. We appreciate those who have contacted the department. We take these concerns seriously. Today, the department notified the Utah Attorney General’s Office so they may conduct an investigation on whether the business is violating discrimination laws. At the same time, the department is reviewing its statutory obligations and legal options for responding to discrimination at DABS licensed establishments. Again, the department takes allegations of discrimination seriously. Safety is always the department’s top priority for everyone who interacts with licensed establishments, including patrons, employees, and owners.
“I don’t perceive how this could be seen as discriminatory,” Valentine said. “We’re advocating for an inclusive environment by rejecting hate speech, which is quite the opposite of discrimination.”
Valentine is full of it. If the policy revision was truly about “eliminating all forms of hate speech, not just specific instances” then he would be banning protesters calling for “resistance by all means necessary”, “intifada” and the genocidal ‘”From the River to the Sea”. He would also ban those who justify what Hamas did on Oct 7.
But then he would be banning himself from his own establishment.
Instead, he is just targeting “Zionists”, which includes over 90% of the world’s Jews.
And if that wasn’t indicative enough of his antisemitism, note how he essentially compares us to Nazis in the Instagram post, falling foul of the IHRA Working Definition of antisemitism.
And here’s the kicker: Valentine ran for Salt Lake City Mayor in 2023.
Thankfully, this antisemitic terror supporter got his ass handed back to him on a platter of tofu.
During his ill-fated campaign, Valentine had this to say:
Citing his own experience living out of his car, he claims the city’s current efforts to help the housing and homelessness crisis aren’t enough. He’s made his own plan to tackle the issue, such as making abatements and anti-homeless architecture illegal.
“I think homelessness is the most important issue,” Valentine said, noting that 159 homeless people died in Utah last year.
Please spread the word about him and his business so he can return to his car.
