Why are there calls to 'boycott McDonald's' amid the Israel-Hamas war?

Calls to "boycott McDonald's" have become widespread online amid the Israel-Hamas war.

It comes after the company's Israeli restaurants gave out free meals to the Israel Defense Forces after Hamas carried out its unexpected 7 October attack on Southern Israel. The attack killed around 1,405 people and injured a further 5,431. More than 200 people were taken hostage.

At the time of writing, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 8,525 with a further 21,000 injured, as per the Palestinian health ministry, Palestine Red Crescent Society and Israeli Medical Services.

During the first week of the war, McDonald's Israel announced they would be giving Israeli troops free meals. They later reiterated this on social media, explaining they would be donating food to "all those who are involved in the defence of the state, hospital and surrounding areas".

Alongside thousands, Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, recently shared his stance while at a protest in London. "We need direct action like boycotting McDonald’s," he told GB News. "McDonald’s are giving free food to the Israeli army. That is terrible."

TikTok users have also taken to the platform with a combined total of 30.5 million views under the hashtag '#BoycottMcDonalds'.

TikTok

It has since been rumoured that the stock market has dropped, as McDonald's slashes the prices of popular menu items "for half term." It's unclear whether the two are remotely linked, as the company has launched similar deals in the past. Indy100 has reached out to the fast food chain for comment.

McDonald's has recently witnessed an influx of random 'mice attacks' across the UK, with a chain in Birmingham marking the third incident.

"Free Palestine, but don’t do acts which make us look bad," one social media user quipped, while another added: "A hundred per cent support for Palestine but this is just silly."

A third added: "Boycott McDonald’s. But don’t punish the workers who are earning minimum wage. It’s not fair on them to deal with this."

It also comes after a viral video claiming McDonald's changed its packaging to blue and white to show support for Israel was debunked.

The woman in the clip can be heard saying: "This is the colour of their [Israel] flag [...] This is a big company, it should not be changing the wrapping [...] I’m just really upset that I got my order and I got this flag."

However, McDonald’s US denied claims and informed Full Fact the wrappers have been used for some time for limited-edition items and special orders. The packaging comes in a variety of colours including blue, green, purple and yellow – all far-detached from political statements.

As tensions rise on a global scale, it's important to note that while McDonald's is a global chain, franchises across the world are often owned locally. McDonald's Israel is owned by Alonyal Ltd.

Franchises in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Turkey have since issued statements disassociating themselves from the Israeli franchise, and have pledged aid to Gaza.

"In regard to the news that McDonald's in Israel was donating meals. We affirm that it was an individual decision on their part," the Saudi McDonald's franchise said in a statement. "Neither global McDonald's nor us nor any other country had a role or relationship with that decision, neither directly nor indirectly."

Indy100 reached out to McDonald's for comment.

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