London Restaurateur Who Urged Netanyahu To Destroy Gaza Buildings Now Pleads for Help Saving His Business

A London restaurateur has appealed for public support after a social media video in which he questioned why a building in Gaza was still standing drew criticism and calls for a boycott. Harman Singh Kapoor, who runs Singh's Dining, says negative Google reviews and a website outage have added to pressure on his business.

Kapoor, 54, posted the appeal on 12 October, saying the restaurant had outstanding rent and his landlord had threatened court action. He urged customers to book tables, visit in person and share his message, insisting the restaurant remains open.

The backlash followed a video posted in late September in which Kapoor addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces while showing an aerial image identified in accompanying footage as Al-Qadisia Girls School. He asked why the building was 'still standing.' Al Jazeera described the clip as appearing to urge further destruction in Gaza, while critics interpreted the comments as encouraging it. Kapoor's claim that the structure was being used as an Israeli military base has not been independently verified.

Kapoor Blames Online Reviews for Business Pressure

Kapoor alleged that Google was accepting fake one-star reviews while rejecting genuine five-star ratings. He also said the restaurant's booking website had crashed following what he described as a cyberattack. Neither claim has been independently verified, and no evidence reviewed establishes that Google manipulated the ratings.

Kapoor urged supporters to leave honest reviews and said he wanted to continue operating Singh's Dining as a non-halal restaurant. In a follow-up post, he rejected suggestions that it had closed and said it would remain open until he announced otherwise.

Previous Restaurant Closed In February

The dispute follows the closure of Kapoor's former Hammersmith restaurant, Rangrez, in February after 16 years. He attributed the closure to rising costs, online harassment, disturbances and what he described as insufficient support from the Metropolitan Police. These reasons were given by Kapoor and have not been independently established.

The Metropolitan Police told the Hindustan Times that officers arrested a 54-year-old man on 14 March on suspicion of malicious communications over a separate video that included references to threats to kill. The force said enquiries were ongoing and the suspect had been released on bail. An arrest is not a finding of guilt, and the latest outcome of the investigation was not available in the reports reviewed.

Business Impact Remains Unclear

The Gaza video drew criticism from online users who viewed the comments as endorsing further destruction in the territory. Roya News reported that some users called for a boycott and that Kapoor later said his website had been taken down. The extent of the boycott and its effect on the restaurant's finances have not been independently confirmed.

Kapoor links the business difficulties to negative reviews and the website outage, but there is no independent breakdown of lost bookings, revenue or rent arrears. The reports reviewed did not include responses from Google or the landlord.

Singh's Dining's immediate financial position remains unclear. Kapoor says it is still open and is asking customers to visit, while the allegations of review manipulation and a cyberattack remain unverified.