Businesses in Malaysia seen with links to the US and Israel, including Starbucks and McDonald’s, have been targeted by an extended boycott as local consumers protest the siege on Gaza that the strip’s health authorities say have killed around 30,000 people so far, mostly civilians.
In its statement, Starbucks Malaysia said it has been the victim of “false statements” that had led to acts of violence and vandalism at some of its stores and assaults on its employees.
It said its Malaysia operations are fully owned by a publicly-listed Malaysian company and that it has no political agenda.
“At Starbucks, our position remains unchanged. Starbucks stands for humanity. We condemn violence, the loss of innocent life, and all hate,” the coffee chain said in a statement posted on professional networking site LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
The statement did not mention the boycott.
Starbucks Malaysia’s parent company, Berjaya Food, on February 21 reported a 38 per cent annual decline in revenue during its October-December quarter last year to 182.55 million ringgit (US$38.33 million), compared to 295.32 million ringgit during the same period in 2022.
The drop in revenue was “mainly due to the boycott in relation to the conflict in the Middle East”, Berjaya Food said in its quarterly report filed with Bursa Malaysia.
‘Quaking in their boots’: Malaysians, Indonesians ditch brands over war in Gaza
‘Quaking in their boots’: Malaysians, Indonesians ditch brands over war in Gaza
The organisers of BDS Malaysia, the local arm of the international Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement against Israel, declined to comment on Starbucks’ statement, saying that Starbucks was not a target of its campaign.
In its statement, Starbucks Malaysia said its activities in the country focused on serving and supporting local communities, the government and NGOs “through a range of initiatives designed to directly uplift and benefit Malaysians”.
It also said its workforce of over 5,000 employees across 400 stores nationwide consisted entirely of Malaysians, including people with disabilities.
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“For Malaysians if you choose not to pick a side and claim to be neutral, to them, you are supporting the laknatullah,” said a Facebook post from user Azmil Awalluddin that shared Starbucks Malaysia’s statement and used the Arabic term for “cursed by God” that was favoured by Malaysians to describe Israel.
Starbucks Malaysia’s statement echoed parts of a letter to employees and customers issued in December by the company’s CEO Laxman Narasimhan, who sought to distance the company from a “Solidarity with Palestine” post on social media posted by their US workers’ union.
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Malaysia has a long history of cordial relations with Hamas and its leaders, a group labelled terrorists by Israel and its allies, but seen as legitimate freedom fighters by many in the Muslim world.