McDonald’s is one of the hardest hit by the global boycott after a sister business in Israel provided free meals to Israeli soldiers in the days after the October 7 Hamas raid sparked the conflict.
So far, Israel has slaughtered more than 20,000 Palestinians – the majority civilians – while more than 1,100 Israelis died in the bloody Hamas assault.
But the move to sue the Malaysian chapter of the boycott movement has been met with scorn across Malaysia’s vituperative social media in a nation with a long history of backing the Palestinian cause.
“Boycotting companies like these is a personal choice and it is up to that individual consumer,” said Sheryl Ho from the Muda party. “That being said, anyone in their right frame of mind who wasn’t boycotting [McDonald’s] before this, sure would be doing it now.”
Others said their decision to boycott came from their own conscience over what they saw unfolding in Gaza and was not the result of any call to boycott.
McDonald’s “have lost a customer for life, not just for this boycott”, said another post on X.
A particular sore point among the Malaysian public is the company’s demand of 1.5 million ringgit (US$326,000) from BDS Malaysia to compensate for the termination of the fast food chain’s employees as a result of the three-month-long boycott.
“They terminated their staff to save cost and they are making other people pay for it?” asked X user Syafiq Fadli.
Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS movement is a global effort to put non-violent pressure on Israel to comply with international law by boycotting, divesting and sanctioning the country and entities that support it.
The global movement’s website, however, does not list McDonald’s – or Starbucks – as a targeted business, saying that the repeated calls to boycott the brand are part of an organic movement by the public.
It said, however, that it supported these efforts “due to these brands openly supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians”.
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Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally
Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally
Malaysia has been one of the most vocal countries to speak up on behalf of the Palestinians and has been open about its support for Hamas, refusing Western pressure to denounce the Qatari-backed group as a terrorist organisation.
“I emphasise the need for all countries to press for a ceasefire in Gaza so that there will be no further loss of civilian lives, especially infants,” Anwar said in a leader’s retreat chaired by Biden. “Stop the atrocities in Gaza; stop it now.”