Bunny’s Buckets & Bubbles fired at least six of its employees who demonstrated outside the restaurant in Fells Point this weekend.

The restaurant, which is owned by chef Jesse Sandlin, Brian Acquavella and Matt Akman, posted an Instagram story Monday night that said the protest stemmed from a recent incident in which a diner complained about a worker wearing a Palestinian flag pin. The restaurant wrote that the customer allegedly said that they felt “uncomfortable and unsafe” and that it “disrupted their dining experience.”

Management confronted the employee, citing a restaurant policy against wearing items with religious or “potentially divisive messages,” the Instagram story said. The worker eventually removed the pin.

However, a week later, a different employee wore a pro-Palestine pin on the job. When approached by management, the employee quit, according to the Bunny’s post.

Over the weekend, some workers joined a protest outside the entrance of the Ann Street eatery. The post alleged that their actions “harmed Bunny’s reputation and ability to operate,” and that management decided to fire all the staffers involved in the demonstration. Reached by phone, Sandlin declined to comment.

Former Bunny’s host Sydney Browne said the restaurant’s statement was “at best misleading” in a Tuesday afternoon phone call.

Browne said she was among at least six workers fired by text on Monday, one day after a group of employees joined a protest outside the restaurant following their shifts.

“Yesterday right outside our restaurant’s doors you participated in a disruptive and overly aggressive political protest involving your individually-held political beliefs and position involving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict,” Sandlin wrote in the text.

The chef wrote that Browne’s participation regarding “a political issue which has nothing to do with the restaurant, our workplace, or our ability to control or impact this international dispute,” was disruptive to Bunny’s business. Sandlin also said Browne’s actions “created a negative image of professionalism within our customer base.”

“As a result of your actions the relationship of trust between you and our restaurant has been irreparably broken and we therefore cannot continue your employment,” Sandlin wrote.

Browne said she did not hear from management prior to the protest that participating would be cause for discipline. She said she was shocked multiple other personnel had received the same termination text from Sandlin.

Browne said the protest was based on reinstating an employee who was allegedly given an ultimatum to take their Palestine flag pin off or leave the restaurant.

During a meeting Saturday with staff and management about the incident, Browne said Bunny’s owners said it was not just pins for Palestine that were an issue, but also pins expressing support for Pride and other matters considered to be political. “I don’t remember signing a policy to that effect,” the 24-year-old said. “Even if that policy did exist, it was rarely enforced.”

The incident created a storm on social media. The establishment turned off comments on its Instagram account, but on open posts shared with other business accounts, customers flooded the comments with pro-Palestine messages. “Freedom forever, genocide never,” one wrote. “I will never ever eat here.”

The restaurant was closed Monday following the firings. Multiple customers were surprised when they stopped by the corner of South Ann and Lancaster streets, hoping to grab a bite of Bunny’s fried chicken, only to find that the eatery had gone dark.

Chairs were stacked along the outdoor patio space, and stringed lights were turned off at the often lively neighborhood spot that is normally open until 11 p.m. Multiple customers, none of whom wished to share their names, were surprised to see the restaurant closed. A father-daughter duo said they were not aware of the drama surrounding the business when they knocked on the locked door just shy of 9:30 p.m.

One man, walking his dog, said he had heard about the protest and it made him view the eatery differently. “It’s not the best look,” he said.

This story has been updated.