People Are Boycotting McDonald’s To Protest Trump’s Jerusalem Decision
Image by Getty Images
By Aiden Pink December 12, 2017
President Trump is a known lover of McDonald’s — former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski recently claimed that the most powerful man in the world would often order two Big Macs, two Filet-o-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate milkshake for a meal during the campaign.
But Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has had negative consequences for the Golden Arches: The fast-food giant has been the subject of boycotts in at least two different Muslim-majority countries because of the announcement.
In Saudi Arabia, the hashtag #BoycottAmericanRestaurants spread throughout the country. According to Newsweek, McDonald’s, the country’s leading fast food brand, is one of the companies targeted, as are Papa John’s, Pizza Hunt and Burger King.
And in Malaysia, rumors spread on Twitter and the messaging service WhatsApp that McDonald’s “channeled funds to Israel” and should be boycotted, Reuters reported.
The company’s Malaysian franchise was forced to respond in a statement. “The claim that McDonald’s channels funds to Israel is a false accusation, a lie, fake and slanderous,” said Azmir Jaafar, the managing director and operating partner of the company’s Malaysian franchisee.
“As Malaysians, we understand the disappointment felt by Muslims around the world over this issue,” he added. “Let us unite and concentrate on the right struggle and pray for those affected by this development.”
The company also faced boycott calls in Malaysia in 2014 when social media posts claimed that McDonald’s was helping to fund Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
