Antisemitism, homophobic allegations stem from Palestinian colleague
A store manager at Aldi has been suspended following allegations of making racist and homophobic remarks to staff at his Melbourne store, according to reports.
The 28-year-old Nikita Potapov, who has been with Aldi for nearly five years, has denied the claims, describing them as "wild accusations."
Potapov's suspension follows a notice he received on October 17, summoning him to a meeting regarding "serious allegations" of misconduct that could result in termination.
"I've been working for 13 years of my life and never had any issues. This is the first time something like this has happened to me," Potapov said as quoted by news.com.au. "I literally sat in the office for five minutes with my mouth open. I was just in shock; I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to say."
Following the notice of investigation, Potapov was suspended with full pay and required to hand in his keys.
The allegations reportedly stem from comments made by a team member of Palestinian descent, news.com.au reported.
Potapov recounted an interaction from late April or early May, when the staff member inquired about his Star of David necklace: "She asked me, 'Are you Jewish?', and I said, 'Yeah, I am.'"
She also referenced the October 7 terror attacks: "It must be like another Holocaust for you guys."
The same colleague was the source of a dozen allegations against Potapov, accusing him of "inappropriate racial and political comments."
The allegations included statements attributed to Potapov regarding a customer wearing a Palestinian flag T-shirt, where he allegedly said: "If Muslims care so much about the war, why don't they go back to Palestine?
The staff member further alleged that Potapov dismissed her cultural name by stating: "the white way is the right way," and made derogatory comments about other employees and customers, including using a racial slur and expressing disdain for a blind customer.
Potapov responded to the allegations, stating: "It was completely made up," and condemned any form of racism, homophobia, or ableism.
The suspended store manager wrote a letter to Aldi insisting that the incidents "absolutely did not happen" and requested further details regarding the allegations, noting that they did not have dates or times.
Aldi denied Potapov's request and said the allegations are already "sufficiently detailed," according to news.com.au.
"You yourself are in a position to know and recall whether you have engaged in the conduct specified in the allegations," Aldi reportedly told the manager.
Adam Glezer of Consumer Champion, legal representation for Potapov, criticised Aldi's handling of the situation, claiming it was done in a "horrible manner."
He slammed the allegations against Potapov as "disgusting" and expressed confidence that the manager would not have made such comments.
Potapov has already instructed his lawyers to file a general protection application with the Fair Work Commission, asserting that he has faced illegal adverse action.
Meanwhile, Aldi confirmed that the investigation is ongoing but declined to provide further comments.
"We take allegations of this nature very seriously and have processes in place to ensure they are investigated thoroughly. As this particular situation is still an open investigation, we are unable to comment further," the company told news.com.au.
