POLICE have opened an investigation after a coffee shop in Edinburgh's city centre was spray-painted with a pro-Palestine statement.
The Starbucks on Princes Street was vandalised overnight on Christmas Day with graffiti which appears to read "Gaza bleeds: boycott". Some windows of the premises have also been boarded up.
“Gaza Bleeds: Boycott”. Starbucks on Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland shut down in boycott campaign. Starbucks trade union organisers who showed solidarity with Palestine were sued by the company in the US. pic.twitter.com/JShE1ZcKEe
— Skotia (@TheSkotia) December 26, 2023
The Starbucks store has only been open for a month, after relocating from another unit on Princes Street on November 17.
A sign on the front door of the coffee shop reads: "We are closed due to ongoing maintenance".
The store was initially meant to be open on Boxing Day,
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 8:15am on Monday, December 25, 2023, police received a report of damage to a premises on Princes Street, Edinburgh.
"Enquiries are at an early stage and ongoing."
Calls to boycott Starbucks have arisen over a lawsuit it has pursued from Starbucks Workers United, a trade union group of Starbucks workers in the United States.
The group released a statement showing their support for Palestine, which many confused to be published by Starbucks Coffee.
Starbucks Coffee then issued a trademark infringement lawsuit against the group after they refused to retract the statement.
It also released an official statement distancing itself from the position of Starbucks Workers United, saying that the group "did not speak for Starbucks".
