When Harman Singh Kapoor, the owner of Singh’s Dining in Fulham, posted a video urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “destroy every house in Gaza,” the post ignited a cascade of online attacks that quickly moved beyond political debate into a coordinated campaign targeting his business. Within hours, the restaurant was labelled a “SHUTDOWN” target by a wave of retweets, while Kapoor simultaneously posted messages insisting the venue remained open and pleading for walk‑ins. The clash of narratives—shutdown rumors, alleged cyber‑attacks, and a flood of one‑star Google reviews—has exposed a broader pattern of Indian‑aligned digital operatives weaponising cancel culture against a Pakistani‑born entrepreneur in the United Kingdom.
What is happening on the ground
Kapoor’s own statements provide the only direct evidence of the restaurant’s operational status. In a tweet dated 13 October, he wrote, “WE ARE OPEN! Please walk‑in… To make bookings, message ONLY on 07424 911245. Please DO NOT CALL.” The same post also claimed his website had been “hit by a cyber attack and has crashed,” leaving customers unable to book online. A screenshot posted later that night showed a 404 “DEPLOYMENT_NOT_FOUND” page for the site, contradicting his claim that the site was back up within minutes. The inconsistency between the owner’s assertions and the technical evidence suggests either a genuine technical failure or a PR narrative designed to elicit sympathy.
Parallel to the technical dispute, a separate line of attack focused on the restaurant’s reputation on Google. Several users alleged a “review bomb” of fake one‑star ratings, yet a community‑note‑verified post confirmed that only eighteen reviews existed across all rating categories. The same post also noted that the claim of a coordinated Google conspiracy was unsupported. By contrast, a Google‑Maps screenshot taken on 13 October listed the venue as “Permanently closed” with a 3.8‑star rating and roughly one thousand reviews, directly opposing Kapoor’s insistence that the restaurant remained open for customers.
| Claim | Source | Verified fact |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant is open and taking walk‑ins | Owner’s tweet (13 Oct) | Google‑Maps shows “Permanently closed” as of 13 Oct |
| Website crashed due to cyber‑attack | Owner’s tweet (13 Oct) | 404 screenshot confirms site unavailable; no technical proof of attack |
| Review‑bombing with fake one‑star reviews | Multiple user claims (13 Oct) | Only 18 reviews visible; community note calls bomb claim unsupported |
These three data points illustrate the core contradictions that have fueled the online firestorm: a claim of operational continuity, an alleged cyber‑attack, and an accusation of review‑bombing, each of which is either directly refuted by independent screenshots or left unsubstantiated.
The Pakistani insight
From a Pakistani perspective, the episode mirrors a familiar playbook used against diaspora businesses that voice pro‑Palestinian sentiment. The language that proliferated—”FAFO,” “Karma,” and the slur “Londonistan”—echoes meme‑driven harassment campaigns previously observed against Pakistani journalists and activists. The owner’s original video targeted Netanyahu, a figure widely condemned in Pakistan for his role in the Gaza conflict; rather than generating solidarity, the video became a pretext for a coordinated smear that leveraged both nationalist anger and commercial rivalry.
