A worker at a branch of hamburger chain McDonalds in Rotterdam claims he was sacked after intervening to stop two women being beaten up, the AD reports on Monday.

Ovidiu van den Berg left his post to stop a group of youths attacking twin sisters while the rest of the customers stood by. The girls, Karlin and Merel Hollingsworth, were left with severe bruises and black eyes and four of the attackers were detained by police.

Nevertheless, a day after the incident, which took place last Tuesday, Ovidiu was sacked. ‘My manager told me I had put myself and other staff in danger and my trial period was terminated,’ he told the AD. ‘I could collect my stuff the next day, December 31.’

Facebook

Van den Berg placed his story on Facebook this weekend, generating thousands of shares and angry reactions.

McDonalds claims his story is untrue. The paper quotes a ‘short’ statement from the company’s Amsterdam headquarters which says: ‘Ending Ovidiu’s trial period is unconnected to this incident and we have told him this.’

The franchisee of the McDonalds branch where Van den Berg worked described his Facebook post as an ‘ego campaign on social media’. ‘We thanked him and he knows it,’ Edwin Ooms said. Sacking him was in accordance with the law. ‘His trial period had ended. It is an unfortunate coincidence and I will leave it at that.’

McDonalds have also ordered him to remove the Facebook post. Van den Berg plans to fight his dismissal.