Ontario restaurant slammed for pro-Russia conspiracy claims about the Ukraine war
A restaurant in Sarnia, Ontario is under fire for posting a slew of unsubstantiated theories about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, ranging from Russian state-supplied propaganda to straight-up QAnon-level conspiracies.
The war is already reported to have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths, but The Leaky Tank, a truck stop along Highway 40, seems to be dishing out more than just diner eats, after an image of a menu showing specials surrounded by controversial political messages appeared online.
The scrawled message — in all caps to really get the point across — reads, "FYI... Russia is not occupying Ukraine, they are denazifying it. Poutin [sic] spoke out against the great reset and calls those who seek to oppress as Satan worshippers that they are. Russia is taking out bio labs and human trafficking. He's fighting against the enslavement of humanity."
Uhhhh, what?
I can’t BELIEVE, this is on the wall of a local restaurant‼️😡 pic.twitter.com/TWzyXMMUJ3
— SuzLMH17💛💙#IStandWithUkraine (@SueLMH17) February 27, 2022
There's a lot to unpack here, and while it would be too time-consuming to delve into all of these accusations, the outlandish conspiracy theories packed into this brief statement were thoroughly shot down on social media.
I work with this person. In 6th grade education, mind you. She posted this on Facebook yesterday… I knew she was into Qanon within two weeks of meeting her last year. Lunch in the teacher’s lounge is a real blast 😏 Help! pic.twitter.com/2O2Y1yuCyV
— 🍸MartiniGenie🧞♀️ (@ThisFlyin) February 27, 2022
This isn't the first time The Leaky Tank has made divisive political statements, having been among the groups vocally fighting against lockdown and vax mandates.
Their facebook page pretty much confirms that the folks at #TheLeakyTank are not all there...
— Snarky Civilian (@SnarkyCivilian) February 28, 2022
They totally self-owned in the second photo 🤣#SlavaUkraini#iStandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/oTU7CAGJKA
Seeing the backlash growing, the restaurant owner appeared to make matters worse by issuing a non-apology-style apology on Facebook, directed at "the haters" in an effort to stop the "vile comments," before making it clear the owner stands behind their inflammatory words.
The Leaky Tank Apology. (Ontario) pic.twitter.com/53G7bW9Esv
— Hoosier Molly💙✌️🇺🇸🌻🐶😻🐓👩🌾🐝 (@HoosierMolly) February 28, 2022
One customer did their best to describe a few of the pretty bonkers "reports" out of Ukraine shared in the restaurant, which seem even too absurd for Russian state media outlet RT.
This is what my husband posted to Facebook this morning after we left breakfast. People are crazy. Absolutely bonkers.
— 🇺🇦🌻💛𝓢𝓾𝓮 𝓩 💙🌻🇺🇦 (@IamButterflySue) February 28, 2022
(And yes. I know my battery is going to die. I’m in a hot tub and don’t want to get out. Lol) pic.twitter.com/s5JlDn7It7
Though some are also quite concerned about the menu items listed.
I was so focused on the #RussianPropoganda that I didn't read the actual menu! Now that I have, gross 🤮 pic.twitter.com/r8ubMZbPJ5
— Snarky Civilian (@SnarkyCivilian) February 28, 2022
A new message has since appeared, this time with just the daily specials. Though the word is out, and anyone not taking Russia's side on the conflict is probably going to be looking for a new spot to eat.
