A meal out with a friend ended on an appalling note for a young woman in Gibraltar after she found a racist insult written on her restaurant receipt. Her mother shared a photograph of the message online, prompting an angry response from residents and questions about how it had been allowed to appear on a customer’s bill.

The words, written in Spanish, read: ‘Moro de mierda vuelve a tu pais’, a deeply offensive insult telling a Moroccan person to go back to their country. The mother explained that her daughter had visited the restaurant with a friend a couple of days earlier. She said the family would not be returning to the establishment. 

Restaurant’s explanation sparks further criticism

The incident quickly drew attention on social media, with commenters questioning whether the restaurant had taken sufficient action and whether the matter should be reported to the Royal Gibraltar Police.

The restaurant, identified as Chatzz, subsequently issued a statement describing the message as an ‘in-joke’ between two members of staff. It said the employee responsible had been dismissed. That explanation has not convinced everyone. Several people questioned how a remark of that nature could be dismissed as a private joke when it had ended up on a customer’s receipt. Others wanted to know why only one member of staff had lost their job if two employees had been involved.

Customers threaten to boycott restaurant

The reaction has also reached beyond the original post, with some people saying they will no longer eat at Chatzz or other restaurants operated by the same group. One commenter said their family would be avoiding the establishment after reading the company’s explanation. Another questioned whether the employee responsible might simply be moved to a different restaurant within the group. Others called on the customer to report the incident to the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP), while several demanded a fuller apology from the business.

There were also calls for customers to check their receipts before leaving the restaurant, with people concerned that the incident might not be an isolated occurrence. However, there is no evidence that similar messages have appeared on other customers’ bills. One particularly disturbing comment speculated about whether the daughter’s food could have been interfered with. No evidence has been provided to support that suggestion, and it remains speculation rather than an allegation established by the customer.

Questions remain over the company’s response

The incident has put the restaurant’s handling of the matter under scrutiny, particularly its description of the message as an internal joke. Even if the words were originally exchanged between colleagues, they appeared on a customer’s receipt and were seen by someone who had no part in the alleged joke. The daughter and her friend were customers, not participants in the exchange.

The mother’s decision to share the receipt has also prompted wider discussion about racism and the treatment of people of Moroccan and North African origin in Gibraltar. For the family involved, the response is straightforward: they will not be returning to Chatzz. Whether the company’s explanation and the dismissal of one employee will be enough to reassure other customers remains to be seen. The restaurant has been approached for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received

If you have ever gone into Primark during the sales and wondered where all the best bargains have gone, one store in Melilla may have had an unusual explanation. A supervisor was allegedly hiding newly reduced clothes and homeware around the shop so she could buy them herself later, rather than letting customers get their hands on them. The woman had been working for the retailer since 2016, but her own shopping arrangements eventually landed her in trouble with her employer, and a Spanish court has now backed the decision to dismiss her.

The assistant manager worked at Primark’s store in the Parque Melilla shopping centre. The court heard that she had been keeping discounted merchandise out of customers’ reach and allowing other workers to do the same. The practice came to light in February, while the store director was on holiday. Two team managers raised concerns with the personnel manager after hearing reports that goods marked down in additional reductions, known internally as ‘Furthers’, were being put aside instead of being returned to the shop floor.

Hidden bargains in the shop

According to evidence considered by the court, the products were tucked away in less visible parts of the store, including the fitting rooms. Staff could then buy them during their breaks or after finishing work. One team manager said a colleague had admitted hiding products alongside the assistant manager and members of the external cleaning team. Another said she had heard the supervisor explaining to a sales assistant how to conceal items. When she realised she was being overheard, the supervisor reportedly added: “But I haven’t told you anything.”

There was another telling exchange on February 2. A team manager saw the assistant manager searching among sheets and pillows on a display bed. She reportedly complained: “They always take the things I put aside.” The court also considered an electronic record of a purchase made five days later. The employee clocked out for her break at 10.02am on February 7 and, five minutes later, bought ten items for €35.80 using her staff number. She clocked back in at 10.21am. On the same day, external cleaning staff were found putting reduced items in the fitting rooms. They said the assistant manager had given them permission.

Primark rules expressly prohibited it

The company’s Welcome Handbook, given to employees when they join, specifically bans reserving merchandise for personal use or for other people. The rule applied even if staff intended to pay for the goods later therefore Primark dismissed the assistant manager. The disciplinary letter accused her of seriously failing to fulfil her responsibilities, disobeying workplace rules and breaching the trust and good faith expected of an employee.

She challenged the dismissal in court. Juzgado Social No. 1 in Melilla rejected her claim on October 29 2025, finding that the allegations were supported by the two team managers’ evidence, staff purchase and clocking records, and the company handbook. The employee then appealed to the High Court of Justice of Andalucía (TSJA), arguing that the evidence did not justify the decision to sack her.

Judges uphold the dismissal

In its ruling of September 28, 2026, the TSJA rejected the appeal and confirmed that the dismissal was justified. The judges agreed that the assistant manager had deliberately kept discounted goods from customers so she could obtain them for herself, while also allowing cleaning staff to reserve products. Her senior position counted against her. Rather than ensuring company procedures were followed, she had used her authority to permit the very conduct she was expected to prevent.

The court also rejected the argument that dismissal was too severe because the items involved were of relatively low value. In cases involving a serious breach of trust or good faith, the judges said, the decisive issue is the loss of confidence between employer and employee, not simply the financial value of the goods. The ruling leaves Primark’s decision in place. The case was an employment dispute, not a criminal prosecution, and the court’s decision concerns whether the company had grounds to dismiss the employee.

Somewhere in Fuengirola, a coupon that cost only €2 is now worth €35,000. Anyone who bought a ONCE coupon in the town on Thursday has good reason to check their numbers.

Silvia Sanchez sold the winning coupon

Silvia Sanchez, a ONCE seller, sold the ticket worth €35,000 from the Cupon Diario (daily coupon) draw held on Thursday, October 29. ONCE announced the result on social media and congratulated both Silvia and the ticket holder.

How the Cupon Diario works

Draws take place every Monday to Thursday from 9:25pm. Players choose a five-digit number, and each draw offers 49 prizes of €35,000 to those who match all five digits, while the top prize of €500,000 goes to the five-digit number that also matches the winning series. Prizes at this level turn up regularly across Spain, since each draw offers so many of them.

Players can add an optional extra called La Paga (literally “the wage”). If the series number matches as well, it pays €3,000 a month for 25 years on top of the €35,000.

Where the money goes

ONCE is Spain’s organisation for blind and visually impaired people, and its lottery sellers work in towns and cities across the country. Many sellers are people with disabilities, and money from ticket sales helps fund ONCE’s support services. Every coupon sold supports that work while also giving buyers the chance to win a prize.

Not the first win for Fuengirola

It is not the first time Fuengirola has featured in ONCE’s recent run of good fortune. In July, a local resident won €1 million on a Mega Millonario scratchcard bought from seller Jose Manuel Campos, known as Josele, in Plaza de la Hispanidad near the fairground. Earlier the same month, a Fuengirola seller handed out a €1.5 million Sueldazo jackpot, part of a €1.82 million haul for the town

What to do next

Bought a coupon in Fuengirola on Thursday? Check the number against the results—the winning five-digit number was 61177. Congratulations to Silvia, and to whoever is holding the winning ticket.