McDonald’s and Starbucks are among numerous western companies facing consumer boycotts over the Gaza conflict. McDonald’s found itself caught in the crossfire after an Israeli franchisee said it was providing thousands of free meals to the Israel Defense Forces.
Similarly, Starbucks faced boycott calls after disagreeing with a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by the chain’s union expressing solidarity with Palestine.
In both cases, customers have been voting with their feet in countries including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, Jordan and Malaysia – despite franchisees expressing loyalty to the local community. There were also attacks on the two chains in the UK.
