TikToker charged for tearing down Greek flags she thought were Israeli at NJ eatery
Restaurant owner had filed a complaint after the incident in March, but police only acted after Amber Matthews, 23, incriminated herself by posting vandalism video that went viral
A woman who posted a viral video of herself at a New Jersey restaurant tearing down Greek flags after mistaking them for Israeli ones has been arrested and charged, the New York Post reported Thursday.
Amber Matthews, known as Ambamelia on social media, was charged with bias and intimidation on Tuesday over the March 11 incident at Efi’s Gyro in Montclair, local police said, and is due in court on December 3, according to the Post.
The paper said restaurant owner Efi Mihalis had complained to police in March, but Matthews was caught only seven months later, after she posted a video of her mistaken vandalism to TikTok.
Montclair police chief Todd Conforti told the local news that the community “strives to treat all individuals with dignity and respect.”
“I hope this investigation sends a clear message that our agency will not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination, and offenders will be held accountable for their actions,” he added.
Matthew’s video, first published October 15, quickly went viral. The Post said it has raked up 4.5 million views on TikTok and millions more on other platforms.
A woman who tore down a string of Greek flags at a New Jersey restaurant after mistaking them for Israeli flags has been arrested and charged, the New York Post reports.
Amber Matthews, 23, was charged with bias and intimidation over the March 11 incident at Efi’s Gyro in… pic.twitter.com/ZzCm9H0e5V
— CYNN (@CYNN_Official) October 25, 2024
In the video, Matthews, 23, tears down a string of blue-and-white flags outside a restaurant.
“Free Palestine!” she yells, to the bemused looks of restaurant workers.
“What are you looking at? You know damn well there’s a genocide,” she says. “I’m taking this shit down.”
“I don’t stand for it. There’s genocide, and I don’t stand for Zionism,” Matthews says.
“Are you proud of your heritage?” she asks a worker, who explains the flags are Greek, not Israeli.
“My bad,” said Matthews. “It looks like Israel. Do you want it back?”
Anti-Israel and antisemitic content has surged on TikTok amid the war in Gaza, sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Jewish TikTok employees have reportedly accused the company of an antisemitic office culture and alleged that its online moderators have allowed hatred against Israel and Jews to proliferate on the platform.
