TRENTON, NJ – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division on Civil Rights (DCR) have issued a Notice of Violation against Melquisedec Francis for discriminatory practices. Francis, advertising his services on TaskRabbit and other platforms, openly stated his refusal to provide services to Jewish patrons, violating the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD).
Francis posted, “I am expressing my solidarity with the Palestinian People until the war in Gaza is resolved. And as a result, I am currently not offering my services to the Jewish Community.”
DCR’s investigation revealed multiple instances of Francis’s discriminatory statements, including a TaskRabbit advertisement explicitly denying services to the Jewish community. Attorney General Platkin emphasized that any form of discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, is illegal in New Jersey. DCR Director Sundeep Iyer reiterated the state’s commitment to swift enforcement actions against such discriminatory practices.
Francis, of Paterson, denies the allegations and said he was ‘deplatformed’ by the State of New Jersey and others.
“I do not support hammas. Nor I support Israel. I did not offend, insulted nor denied my services to any Jewish. I was taken off the platform for saying that in order to protest the war in Gaza, and until the war in Gaza comes to a conclusion, I wont confirm job request from the Jewish Community,” he said. “
I being unemployed and with no means of self-subsitance, will change nothing about the atrocities of the world. That being said, calling my phone number, harassing me on this website, leaving threats and insults will avail you all nothing.”
The LAD prohibits public accommodations from discriminating based on protected characteristics, including religion, national origin, ancestry, and race. It also forbids the refusal to provide services based on these characteristics.
The Notice of Violation mandates Francis to cease discriminatory practices, adopt a written non-discrimination policy, publish non-discrimination statements, undergo anti-Semitism training, and attend several DCR trainings on implicit bias, microaggressions, and the LAD. He is also required to remit a payment in lieu of a penalty to the DCR.
After the backlash, Francis posted, “If, somehow, my dear Jewish Community, still feel that no one else, no other human being in the world, but me, must provide the Jewish Community with the service that it so desires, that it must find ways to attack me and to terminate my career, in utter, absolute protest, then let me say this to my dear Jewish Community: God be with you all.”
The online freelance site TaskRabbit responded, saying, “
“Recently, Taskrabbit was made aware of a discriminatory comment written by a Tasker on the platform. This comment does not represent the views of Taskrabbit. We want to reiterate that TaskRabbit does not condone discrimination of any kind, including antisemitism, on our platform. We immediately took action to ensure Taskrabbit remains a safe place for all users. As of yesterday, we began an internal investigation and deactivated this Tasker’s account.””
For more information on religious discrimination and individuals’ rights under the LAD, visit the New Jersey Office of Attorney General’s website or contact the DCR to file a complaint if one’s rights under the LAD have been violated.