Aldi rejects claims of antisemitism

Aldi has determined that complaints of racism and homophobia against a Jewish manager are true “on the balance of probabilities”, despite the staff member denying the allegations.

Jewish store manager Nikita Potapov claims the allegations against him were motivated by antisemitism. But in a November 19 letter to Potapov – who was suspended following the complaints, Aldi rejected his argument.

Aldi wrote it was “difficult to accept as you allege that the ‘other staff have colluded to come up with false allegations to get rid of [you] because [you] are Jewish’ in circumstances where, to its knowledge, no team member at ALDI has ever raised any matters in relation to your race, religion, or ethnicity.

“ALDI rejects any suggestion that you have been treated unfairly during the investigation or disciplinary process ‘on account of [you] being a Jew’, that ALDI has been ‘selective’ in its investigation, or that the allegations were connected in any way to your religion or otherwise.”

The letter required that Potapov undergo training before returning as Store Manager of its new Caulfield South store which opens this week.

Potapov told the AJN he does not plan to return to Aldi and that his mental health has suffered.

Potapov told the AJN that he had worked at Aldi for over four years and the complaints began after his colleagues saw him wear a Star of David in May and realised he was Jewish.

“It’s hard because for 13 years I’ve worked so hard for everything I’ve done … and to receive such news, especially when you’ve done nothing wrong … How can you recover from this? It really plays with your mind,” Potapov commented.

His advocate Adam Glezer from Consumer Champion told The AJN, “One of the many things that I find mind-boggling is that they have effectively said, we find you guilty of these repulsive racist and homophobic comments and are also banning you from entering the store you managed up until September, yet we want you to go and run our Caulfield store … something doesn’t add up.

“Nikita’s situation is just a drop in the ocean compared to what is happening to Jewish workers both in Australia and worldwide,” Glezer continued.

“I have heard some terrible examples of antisemitism in the workplace. It’s really sad that post October 7, a large percentage of Jews have to think twice before telling others they are Jewish because of fear of repercussions.”

An Aldi spokesperson told the media, “We take allegations of this nature very seriously and follow a strict process to ensure they are investigated thoroughly as we believe in creating a safe and inclusive environment for our people.

“Aldi has communicated the disciplinary outcome to the individual concerned and the employee will be required, amongst other things, to undergo tailored training in relation to the findings of the investigation.”