McDonald's Malaysia files $1M lawsuit against Israel boycott movement

By Dat Nguyen January 3, 2024 | 03:34 am PT

The logo of McDonald's is seen on a container of French fries. Photo by Pexels

McDonald's Malaysia has filed a lawsuit seeking US$1.31 million in damages from a movement promoting boycotts against Israel for “false and defamatory statements.”

Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd (GAR), which is the licensee of McDonald's in Malaysia, is suing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia movement, claiming that BDS had made a series of social media posts linking the fast-food franchise with Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to Reuters.

It said the BDS campaign has encouraged a public boycott of McDonald's Malaysia, resulting in financial losses, employment reductions and other adverse effects due to the shutdown and reduced operational hours of its establishments.

In response, BDS Malaysia said it "categorically denies" defaming the fast-food company and would leave the matter to the court.

"Boycotting companies like these is a personal choice and it is up to that individual consumer," the South China Morning Post quoted social media user Sheryl Ho as saying.

"That being said, anyone in their right frame of mind who wasn’t boycotting [McDonald’s] before this, sure would be doing it now.

"They terminated their staff to save cost and they are making other people pay for it?" X user Syafiq Fadli asked.