A co-owner of a luxury car dealership in Florida is reportedly resigning after he allegedly made an antisemitic remark in a text to a customer.
“I had my Porsche rep contact the factory to secure a spot at the paint to sample line for a special color before I had someone contact you,” Pompano Beach Champion Motorsports/Champion Porsche co-owner Naveen Maraj allegedly wrote to a potential customer recently.
Maraj allegedly sent the text after a customer said he was going to a different dealer, according to a screenshot from BocaNewsNow.com.
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“But as usual you behave like a spoiled Jew c— who thinks you’re special but you’re not. You not buying a car from me is like a gift from god.”
“This shocking display of antisemitism has no place in business and we urge clients to shop elsewhere,” StopAntiSemitism wrote on X Saturday morning.
FOX Business has reached out to the Anti-Defamation League for comment.
Champion General Manager Mike Peters told BocaNewsNow.com, which first reported on the incident, “At Champion, we are firmly committed to fostering an environment rooted in respect, professionalism and integrity. Incidents like this remind us of the importance of these values, and we will use this moment as an opportunity to reinforce them — both internally and in our broader relationships.
“In furtherance of those standards, Naveen Maraj has advised that he will resign from his employment with Champion and will step down from his managerial and leadership roles with the company effective immediately.”
FOX Business has reached out to Champion for comment.
Elsewhere in the lengthy statement, Peters called Maraj’s comments “offensive and inexcusable” but said Maraj and the customer, John Wolff, have a personal friendship, and the “comment was not made with the intent to harm.”
“Notwithstanding, we recognize that intent does not negate impact,” he added. “The language used was inappropriate and does not reflect the standards of conduct or mutual respect that has been a part of the Champion culture for over 38 years.”
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“By way of background, Mr. Wolff and Mr. Naveen Maraj have maintained a close personal friendship for more than 14 years,” Peters elaborated. “Over that time, they became avid fishing partners and became what Naveen believed to be a close friend. That friendship included a degree of casual banter and familiarity that, while understood privately, can easily be misinterpreted — or become wholly inappropriate — when viewed outside of that context.
“The remark in question was made in a personal capacity and was entirely unrelated to Mr. Maraj’s role or responsibilities at Champion. It was a moment of misplaced informality between friends, not a deliberate attempt to offend or cause harm.”
Wolff told BocaNewsNow.com he and Maraj hadn’t spoken in six years and called it absurd that it would be acceptable within their friendship to call him a “Jew c—.”
Peters in the statement acknowledged that “words carry weight, regardless of context or intent. We deeply regret any discomfort, concern or confusion this incident may have caused. Mr. Maraj has personally expressed his remorse and apology to Mr. Wolff.”
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