Unvaccinated Man Refuses To Leave New York Pizza Restaurant In Viral Video

An unvaccinated man filmed himself refusing to leave a popular New York City pizza restaurant after an employee asked to see his proof of vaccination.

The man, identified on social media as Ray Velez, posted the video on his Instagram page, @savingsovereignty, on Tuesday.

In a caption, he complained about being refused service at Juliana's Pizza in Brooklyn.

New York City this week began enforcing rules requiring workers and customers to be vaccinated to go indoors at restaurants, museums, gyms and other entertainment venues.

The clip, which has since gone viral, starts as an employee asks to see the man's vaccination card.

Anti-vaxxers in Brooklyn cause a scene at a pizza restaurant and refuse to leave pic.twitter.com/QnGMlQtNmN

— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) September 15, 2021

"So you're going to enforce segregation because we just told you that we're religiously exempt," Velez is heard saying.

"You told us you had your vaccination card," the employee replies.

"I never told you any of that. I would never say that... We don't have to leave."

Later in the clip, Velez and a woman are seen arguing with other customers in the restaurant.

"Everybody's in here okay setting segregation in society, everybody's okay with that?" Velez asks other people dining at the restaurant.

"Oh, we don't have our vaccine cards so now the kids can't eat? We can't eat, you guys are okay with that? Is this is the America you want to live in?"

Other customers are heard responding "yes" and one man is seen giving Velez the finger.

"No, f**k you!" Velez yells in response. "You see, you're not American. That's why you need to get the f**k out of here if you're not American.

"Get the f**k out of here! This is America, and in America, everybody can eat. Everybody can eat in America, alright? This is not segregation. This is America, you need to wake up!"

The video amassed almost 100,000 views on Velez's Instagram account and was later reposted on the Fifty Shades of Whey Twitter account, where it has so far amassed more than 270,000 views.

"These anti-vaxxers were last seen getting rejected by @julianaspizza in Brooklyn and refusing to leave," the account tweeted. "Thank you to everyone at Juliana's for putting public health first. I know where I'm getting food the next time I'm in Brooklyn."

"I saw his video had 2k comments of anti-vaxxers so I knew the restaurant would be a target for hate," the user told Newsweek about the decision to share the video.

"I wanted to make sure they come out on top for doing the right thing and putting public health first."

We take the health and safety of our customers seriously. We also face steep fines if we violate City Hall's order. We are permitted to and do accommodate unvaccinated individuals for outdoor, socially distanced dining & takeout. We appreciate your understanding & support. https://t.co/5qWN6zIxBU

— Juliana's Pizza (@julianaspizza) September 15, 2021

The restaurant responded on Twitter, writing: "We take the health and safety of our customers seriously. We also face steep fines if we violate City Hall's order. We are permitted to and do accommodate unvaccinated individuals for outdoor, socially distanced dining & takeout. We appreciate your understanding & support."

In a post on Instagram, the restaurant said businesses "who do not comply with the rules governing the mandate are subject to substantial fines.

"While we welcomes any and all guests to enjoy our pizza, we also fully understand that many people are supportive of such a mandate, while many others are not. We ask for your kindness, patience and understanding as our staff works to implement these rules."

In a comment, the restaurant said the incident was a "staged" event by anti-vax protesters.

"They did not even [come in] really to dine, just to stage and film this event after misrepresenting that they had vaccine cards in order to be seated," the comment added.

Velez and the restaurant have been contacted for additional comment.

Vaccination sign posted outside cinema
A coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination sign is seen posted at the entrance of Nighthawk Cinema on September 08, 2021 in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on abortion rights, race, education, ... Read more

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