In Indonesia and Malaysia, boycotts hammer McDonald’s, Starbucks

Boycotts over the Gaza war are hitting big brands in Southeast Asia despite local owners denying links to Israel.

Medan, Indonesia – Ordinarily during the holy month of Ramadan, entrepreneur Putra Kelana breaks fast with his family and friends at several different food outlets across his city in North Sumatra.

 But this year, one outlet will not be on the menu: McDonald’s.

Kelana has been boycotting the fast food chain since October when McDonald’s Israel announced on social media that it had donated thousands of free meals to the Israeli military amid its war in Gaza.

“It is not so much an outright boycott, rather a feeling of being deeply unhappy with Israel,” Kelana told Al Jazeera.

“I used to have a McDonald’s sticker on my car which gave me discounts when I used the drive-through, but I ripped it off when the war started.”