A California hotel worker who filmed himself harassing Israeli guests in an unprovoked verbal confrontation — and then posted the video online — was fired after the clip went viral.

The employee later claimed he had been unjustly dismissed and launched an online fundraiser that quickly secured him thousands of dollars, raising concerns over the acceptability of public harassment directed at Israelis and Jews in the United States.

The employee, identified on social media as 24-year-old Ryan Smith, filmed himself yelling “Free Palestine” at an Israeli couple staying at Oceanpoint Ranch in Cambria, California.