Culture

An Anti-Vax Karen Harassed An ABC Journalist For “Peddling Lies” As She Tried To Buy Lunch

"I'm not harassing her... you're harassing me now," the woman said when she was called out by cafe workers.

by Michelle Rennex  12 November 2021
Anti-Vax Karen ABC Journalist Cafe Coffee Club Queensland

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There’s truly nothing in the world scarier than a Karen. That is, of course, only beaten by an unbelievably loud and wrong anti-vaxxer. So imagine the horror of encountering the final boss, an anti-vax Karen.

Unfortunately for ABC journalist Melanie Groves, this nightmare scenario became a reality yesterday when an anti-vax Karen berated her as she tried buying lunch from her local cafe. Posting the incident to Twitter, Groves explained that the debacle occurred as she waited in line at The Coffee Club in Mackay, whose staff jumped in to defend the journalist from the verbal attack.

“Just FYI I’m a 29-year-old journo who reports primarily on rural issues and the environment,” Groves tweeted with footage of the bonkers interaction. “Today this kind lady had some words for me in line at the @Mackay_Coffee. Big thanks to the staff for defending me and calling security.”

“I just wanted some lunch.”

In the video, the anti-vaxxer starts an argument with Groves because she finds issue with the journalist working at the ABC — an organisation that the unidentified woman thinks is “spreading lies” about the COVID vaccine.

Not seen in the video, Groves explained that the encounter happened after the anti-vaxxer allegedly told her “that the vaccine is going to kill everyone in a few years and that the ABC (and other media) should be done for crimes against humanity and domestic terrorism“.

When confronted and asked to leave by staff, the woman berated Groves and claimed that she had a right to be there and harass people over where they work because she was “a customer too”. “I’m not harassing her… you’re harassing me now. I’m a customer too, I was just saying that the ABC spread lies and she’s part of a company that is peddling lies,” the woman tried justifying her actions.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” the anti-vaxxer asked, turning her attention onto the journalist with wide eyes. “Do you see where I’m coming from?”

“She doesn’t need to see your point-of-view,” the worker interjected. “She’s just here trying to get coffee like your just here trying to get lunch.”

But when Groves stood up for herself by refusing to engage in the argument the woman very clearly wanted to have, the anti-vaxxer got even more enraged.

“I appreciate that you have your opinions, that is totally fine. Everyone is allowed to have their opinions. I mean, I’m just here to grab some lunch,” Groves told the woman.

“But it’s actually, it’s actually, it’s actually — everyone knows,” the woman responded without getting a single point across. “But I’m just saying, you need to…”

The woman eventually left after staff told her she was no longer going to be served and that security was on their way. But, of course, the Karen had to have the last word and asserted that leaving was actually exactly what she wanted to do.

“I actually WANT to leave and I’d love to actually not give you my money,” the woman said while mocking staff. “ABC sucks. All the media sucks.”


After sharing her Karen encounter to Twitter, Groves was inundated with support as people called out the anti-vaxxer’s harassment that has been fuelled by the spread of misinformation through people of power.

For example, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) literally had to tell Clive Palmer to stop spreading “misleading information” about vaccines back in July, George Christensen publicly backed ivermectin as an effective COVID-19 treatment in September, and Pauline Hanson called for the end of “pandemic discrimination” with a bill in October.

Thankfully the journalist let those concerned know that she was fine, managed to still get her “toasted sanga and coffee” for lunch, and was able to return to work unscathed as she heard the woman still “screaming as security came and asked her to leave”.

Speaking to Junkee, Groves shared that she was super appreciative of the support from the staff who stood up for her as this random woman called her “the scum of the Earth.”

“Hospitality workers, along with retail and healthcare staff are on the front lines with the public and this kind of abuse happens too often (and without being filmed),” Groves told Junkee. “I really appreciated the support from the staff at the Coffee Club.”