McDonald’s, boycotters talks ‘positive’, says lawyer
Published on: Monday, March 18, 2024
By:
FMT, Faisal Asyraf
The next round of talks is due on April 30, to focus on ironing out two or three more issues, say a lawyer.
SHAH ALAM: The mediation between McDonald’s Malaysia and BDS Malaysia, a movement promoting a boycott against Israeli interests, has been positive, BDS Malaysia’s lawyer M Reza Hassan said.
The next round of talks is due on April 30, to focus on ironing out “two or three more issues”.
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“For legal reasons, I can’t disclose the content of the mediation but the stage where we are now is good and we will return on April 30 to discuss further. It was very positive,” he told the media outside the court here, flanked by around 50 supporters of the Palestinian cause, adding that the session before mediator Zaman Noor took close to two hours.
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing McDonald’s, who refused to be identified, said the legal team would not issue a statement during the mediation process.
Last December, McDonald’s, through franchise owner Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, sued BDS for allegedly defaming the fast food franchise by saying it was “colluding with Israel”.
Gerbang Alaf Restaurants is seeking an unconditional apology from BDS and RM6 million in damages, comprising RM3 million for loss of revenue, RM1.5 million for employees who have been laid off, and RM1.5 million for expiry of materials.
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Gerbang Alaf Restaurants is also seeking an injunction against BDS to stop the group from calling for a boycott.
The franchise owner made reference to several posters on which the McDonald’s logo is played, shared by BDS, accusing companies of “profiting from the genocide”.
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However, BDS denied initiating a boycott of McDonald’s restaurants in Malaysia, claiming the boycott was an “organic protest” that was supported by ordinary Malaysians.
Since Israel commenced its offensive against Hamas in Gaza on Oct 7, franchises such as McDonald’s and Starbucks have faced calls for boycotts in Malaysia over alleged links with Tel Aviv.
Since then, the nationwide boycott of the two restaurant chains had impacted revenues for their respective owners, Gerbang Alaf Restaurants and Berjaya Food.
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