A Sydney bakery has come under fire for sharing images of a custom-made Hamas cake for a child’s birthday.
The large birthday cake and cupcakes featured the Palestinian flag on a map of Israel and the West Bank, and an image of masked Hamas spokesman, Abu Ubaida, in the terror group’s infamous green bandana, and the Palestinian keffiyeh pattern.
The birthday boy emulated Ubaida’s costume, wearing a red keffiyeh around his face and an army camouflage jacket. He mimicked the terrorist’s pose with a finger in the air in one photograph of the display.
Sydney-based Oven Bakery by Fu Fu was forced to remove the company’s social media accounts after photos of the Hamas cakes sparked outrage less than a day after they were shared.
The bakery captioned the Instagram post with an upside-down red triangle, which is used in Hamas propaganda to denote the targeting of a person or vehicle with weapons. It has become a well-known symbol for anti-Israel activists.
Social media followers initially praised the boy. A New South Wales clothing store, Ayahs, responded to the post with two red triangles and the comment “Love it” and another Sydney business, At the Warehouse, commented that the birthday boy “is a champion." Others commented with hearts.
Criticism quickly mounted, however, and the bakery closed its Instagram and Facebook pages shortly after the controversial post.
Jewish groups in Australia have slammed the bakery for creating a terror-themed cake.
“Dressing a child up as a terrorist, including with what appears to be a Hamas headband is reprehensible and a form of child abuse,” Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory told the Australian Daily Telegraph.
“Islamic extremism and radicalisation of youth is not just a problem for the Jewish community. It's a threat to all Australians.
“Australia has seen several recent incidents of Muslim youth allegedly stabbing or plotting to attack other Australians. Indoctrination starts at a young age and is similar to what is seen across the Middle East.”