“This assault represents a new and unacceptable level of aggression against the people of this island.”
By Elisha Beatrice Umali
Bulatlat.com
LAGUNA – Siargao-based cafe Cartoon Cafe’s Instagram account was deleted on June 11, following the posting of CCTV footage of an assault on the cafe owners perpetrated by alleged Israelis.
The CCTV footage, along with their full statement, was cross-posted in Facebook and Instagram. The Instagram post was taken down hours later, said Luz Fernandez Ayala (not their real name) in an interview with Bulatlat. Ayala is a close friend directly in contact with the Cartoon Cafe owners.
It was the first time the owners posted the video and their full statement.
“After exposing the assault on Instagram and gaining more than 100,000 views and outrage, Instagram simply DELETED our profile,” the cafe stated in a Facebook post. They also encouraged netizens to follow their newly-made Instagram account.
The 90-second video, captured by a hidden camera inside the cafe, caught two unidentified men breaking into the cafe while beating the husband-and-wife cafe owners. The said attack happened in the early morning of May 11.
Moments before the attack, the assailants took down and stole one of the cafe’s CCTV cameras. They also threw rocks on the cafe window before assaulting the owners.
The cafe management referred to the attack as a “hate crime against the family running Cartoon Cafe on Siargao Island.” One of the owners– a Filipina Lumad– sustained severe facial injuries due to “Israeli-induced” trauma by fists and a wooden club.
According to the public statement on the cafe’s website, two anonymous witnesses testified they heard the perpetrators speak Hebrew while on the run after the assault.
“We can hear in the videos that the attackers were speaking to one another and shouting at the victims as well. It was verified by reliable sources that they were speaking in Hebrew,” said Ayala. They added that General Luna Siargao local police immediately dismissed rumors that Israelis were behind the assault.
Cartoon Cafe initially refrained from posting the footage and their statement to not impede criminal investigations. However, the management was prompted to publicize the details due to speculations and public defamation online.
Among these is a Zionist influencer calling one of the owners– a German national outspoken about the Israeli occupation of Palestine– a neo-nazi. “Several members of our community in Siargao have also been dangerously branded as nazis or antisemites just for standing up for Siargao and/or speaking up about Palestine,” said Ayala.
Based on the cafe’s statement, the attack was likely linked to an incident a week before when an “Israeli” couple stole a Palestinian flag hung on the cafe’s exterior. This flag was installed at the front of the cafe to deter Israeli tourists showing “repeated disrespect toward the [cafe’s] employees and owners.”
Facial swelling and injuries of the Filipina Lumad owner of Cartoon Cafe Siargao from the May 11, 2026 assault. Photo courtesy of Cartoon Cafe Siargao.
This theft was also caught on video and posted on social media, urging Siarganons to call for an investigation of the incident.
Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh told Siargao locals to not politicize Israeli and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) veteran harassment in the island via an online meeting on May 13 during her visit to Siargao island.
Prior to this, the local government of Siargao called for a town hall meeting on May 12. Cartoon Cafe owners and other community members attended the said meeting but Kursh was notably absent.
Read: Envoy flexes military background amid reports of abuses by Israelis in Siargao
As of writing, the case remains “under investigation” a month after the assault. The Siargao local government unit along with the national government have not yet provided concrete steps in addressing the growing local dissent on Israelis.
Cartoon Cafe, via their full public statement, aims to amplify the calls for government action on the increased population of Israelis on the island. “This assault represents a new and unacceptable level of aggression against the people of this island. Nothing justifies such vile behavior,” their statement read.
“Please save Siargao. Because today, it’s Siargao. Tomorrow, it’s Manila and the whole country,” stressed Ayala in an interview with Bulatlat. “We call on the national government to work on banning Israeli nationals from our country with utmost urgency.” (DAA)
Author’s note: The real name of the person interviewed was withheld due to serious threats to safety and security.
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