Double Bay socialite issues extraordinary statement after viral Golden Sheaf clash with Jewish men: Her account of what happened before the cameras rolled

An eastern suburbs socialite at the centre of an explosive pub confrontation with a pair of Jewish men has responded to the controversy with a rambling statement invoking the late Robert Maxwell and her preference for gas over electric cars.

The incident at a Double Bay pub last week was caught on camera and involved Kelly McNamara, of beauty salon Longevity Lounge Aesthetics, and Real Housewives of Sydney star Caroline Gaultier verbally clashing with the two patrons.

The men's religious identity was seemingly a focus of the heated exchange at the Golden Sheaf Hotel on New South Head Road, though the Daily Mail makes no suggestion that there was an antisemitic element.

In footage published by the Sunday Telegraph last week, one of the women was seen reaching out and pulling on the tzitzit, the ritual fringes worn by observant Jewish males, which were hanging from one of the men's clothing.

The men seemed visibly uncomfortable by the encounter, which soon attracted the attention of venue staff.

McNamara later told the men: 'So you dibby-dobbed because I asked you what your strings were?' 

At one stage, Gaultier allegedly called out 'Satan's little helpers' while walking away.

One of the men in the recorded incident contacted the Australian Jewish Association about what had happened.

Following the verbal clash, Ms McNamara has given the Daily Mail an extraordinary statement insisting that she will not back down, while also claiming that the situation only escalated because she and Gaultier 'refused further conversation' with the men.

'I am not apologising for events that were falsely framed as antisemitism,' she said.

The Daily Mail has not characterised the confrontation as antisemitic. Ms McNamara was referring to criticism she says she has received following the incident.

Ms McNamara claimed the two men were not refused entry, denied service or excluded from the venue, but rather were 'refused further conversation by a television personality and a socialite'.

'Since when did anyone become entitled to another person's time, attention or conversation?' she added.

She also dismissed the significance of the interaction involving the tzitzit.

'A socialite asking about the raggedy strings hanging from someone's pants is not evidence of antisemitism,' she said.

'Being rejected, dismissed or having a conversation ended is not evidence of antisemitism.' The Mail does not suggest otherwise.

Her defence then veered into bizarre territory.

'I drive German cars. I own an AMG Mercedes and a weekender 1955 Volkswagen Beetle. Does that make me anti-Jewish?' she asked.

'I prefer GAS over electric vehicles. Is that antisemitism? I am Christian and believe Christ is King. Is that antisemitism? I prefer candlelight to fluorescent lights. Is that antisemitism? I prefer chocolate to rum ice cream. Is this also antisemitic?'

The Mail does not suggest that any of her examples are evidence of antisemitism.

The statement then took another remarkable turn as Ms McNamara invoked the late British media proprietor Robert Maxwell, who was Jewish, and claimed that history could be manipulated by those who control information.

'History has always been recorded, edited, reframed and retold through the lens of whoever holds the pen, the platform or the publishing power,' she said.

'Robert Maxwell's publishing empire is a useful reminder of just how much influence can sit behind the information people consume.'

She insisted she was 'not here to repeat internet mythology' about Maxwell rewriting textbooks, but argued that 'control of information creates influence'.

'I understand the agenda. I can see when a story is being shaped. And I am not going to participate in rewriting a simple social interaction into something it was not.'

Ms McNamara finished by saying the incident had been deliberately misrepresented.

'Two men were refused further conversation. That is the fact. Everything beyond that requires evidence,' she said.

'There are genuine acts of antisemitism in the world and they should be condemned.

'But if every rejection, disagreement, uncomfortable interaction or bruised ego is elevated into antisemitism, the accusation itself becomes diluted - and genuine antisemitism is ultimately diminished.'

She said she was 'tired of being targeted, misrepresented and publicly labelled on the basis of a narrative rather than evidence.

'A headline does not become history because it is printed. A narrative does not become fact because it is repeated. And an allegation does not become truth because someone has an agenda for it to be true.'

Meanwhile, the pub controversy prompted former Real Housewives of Sydney star Dr Kate Adams to speak out about Ms Gaultier.

The Bondi Vet director, who had a notoriously bitter relationship with Ms Gaultier during their time on the reality show, has described her former co-star as 'a very sad person' who is 'well known for her attention-seeking behaviour'.

'I'm not surprised to see [Gaultier] implicated in conflict,' Dr Adams told the Mail.

'I believe she was a large reason behind the demise and non-renewal of Real Housewives of Sydney because of this kind of behaviour,' she said.