Reem Assil, a Palestinian- and Syrian-American chef and former community organizer, opened Reem's — an Arab street-food bakery specializing in mana'eesh — in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood in May 2017. From opening week, the backlash began.
The attacks
Google and Yelp were flooded with one-star reviews. The content went far beyond food criticism:
- "This is a terrorist establishment. There's blood of children in their food."
- "The only good Arab is a dead one"
- "Hope someone blows up your place"
The review bombing was so severe that Yelp's Active Cleanup Alert was triggered — a mechanism designed to prevent review attacks on businesses in the news. In July 2017, four individuals physically blocked the bakery entrance; community members were attacked with racist, homophobic, and transphobic language. Assil, who was pregnant at the time, received direct violent threats.
The attacks intensified again in 2023 during the Gaza conflict.
Community response
Supporters linked arms outside the bakery to create safe passage for workers and customers. The bakery was backed by Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, and other community organizations.
"We're not going anywhere. When other people in our community see that, they say, 'OK, Reem's spoke out on this matter, and I feel like there's space for me to do that too.'"
— Zaynah Hindi, co-founder
What this case reveals
When reviews include death threats and calls to violence, we're no longer talking about consumer feedback. The review system has been co-opted as a delivery mechanism for hate speech and intimidation. Platforms that host these reviews bear responsibility for the real-world danger they enable.