Israel-Hamas conflict: after calls for boycott, McDonald’s says it does not finance or support “any government”

After calls for a boycott launched following positions taken by the group's franchisees around the world on the conflict in the Middle East, McDonald's is trying to put out the fire. In a message posted on X Tuesday evening, McDonald's France tried to clarify the position of the management of the American group on this conflict. Saying itself “deeply troubled by the misinformation and inaccuracies” concerning its position, the French subsidiary of the fast-food brand affirms that “the McDonald’s company does not finance or support any government involved in this conflict”.

She adds that the initiatives of its local franchisees “were taken independently, without the consent or approval of McDonald’s”. A reference to the strong support provided by McDonald’s Israel to the Jewish state’s army. “Since the start of the war, McDonald's Israel has donated more than 100,000 meals to security forces, surrounding residents and hospitals, while five of the chain's restaurants have been opened for this purpose only,” the franchise said. local government on October 19, adding that it was granting “a 50% reduction to all security and relief forces.”

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In reaction to this stated support for the IDF, many franchises of the American group in the Arab-Muslim world quickly dissociated themselves from the action of McDonald's Israel, speaking out in favor of the Palestinians. The brand's branches in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Lebanon then announced various actions to support these populations.

This position taken by the group's Israeli franchise also provoked calls for a boycott from Internet users who sided with the Palestinians. And had consequences even in the group's French restaurants. “Boycott Israel”, “Palestine will live”, “here we kill Gaza”… Slogans hostile to the Jewish state were painted on six McDonald's in the suburbs of Lyon on the night of Friday November 3 to Saturday November 4. The targeted restaurants were also the target of egg throwing and red paint splashes, the Rhône prefecture told Le Figaro.

In its message posted on X, McDonald’s France says it has a thought for the “communities and families impacted by this crisis”. “We abhor all forms of violence, we firmly oppose hate speech, and we will always be proud to open our doors to all,” he says, indicating that the brand is doing everything in its power to “ensure the safety of (its) teams in the region, while supporting the communities in which” McDonald’s operates.