BDS Malaysia denies 'defaming' McDonald's following lawsuit
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BDS Malaysia issued a statement "categorically denying" McDonald's Malaysia's claims of the movement launching a defamation campaign against the fast food giant.
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An Egyptian wears a T-shirt with a logo of BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), a campaign by Palestinians to boycott "Israel" and Israeli-made goods, on April 20, 2015 (AP)
BDS Malaysia issued a statement "categorically denying" McDonald's Malaysia's claims of the movement launching a defamation campaign against the fast food giant.
The BDS movement has been at the front of the boycott campaign, particularly advocating against benefitting giant franchises such as McDonald's, Zara, KFC, etc., which have not shied away from their blatant support of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
BDS Malaysia, sticking to its role, called for the boycott of consumer goods produced by the globally snubbed franchises.
As a result, McDonald's Malaysia filed a defamation lawsuit against BDS Malaysia "to protect its interests," claiming it launched a smear campaign using the giant's support of "Israel", which McDonald's deemed as "false allegations" as it does not "support or condone the current conflict in the Middle East."
The franchise then stated that it respected "that the act of boycotting is an individual decision, [but] we believe that it should be based on facts and not false allegations" and then proceeded to demand 6 million Malaysian ringgits in compensation, the equivalent of almost 1.4 million dollars.
"I don't think that me boycotting these brands would affect them."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 30, 2023
Think again.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/rGkj8vVwKt
Read more: IHRC launches 'Boycott Genocide Supporters' campaign
Malaysia imposes a docking ban on Israeli ships
Malaysia has shown general support for Palestine, significantly after October 7 and the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Most recently, Malaysia imposed a docking ban on all ships from an Israeli shipping cargo company, those en route to any Israeli dock, and those hoisting the occupation flag.
"The Malaysian government has decided to bar and restrict Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd, which is a shipping company based in Israel, from docking in any Malaysian port," the Prime Minister said in a statement on X.
Kenyataan Media
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) December 20, 2023
Perdana Menteri
20 Disember 2023
Kerajaan Malaysia memutuskan untuk menyekat dan tidak membenarkan syarikat perkapalan yang berpangkalan di Israel, ZIM daripada berlabuh di mana-mana pelabuhan Malaysia.
Kementerian Pengangkutan akan mengambil tindakan segera… pic.twitter.com/xBoUjTIt8D
Bin Ibrahim said that Zim is a publicly held Israeli international cargo shipping corporation, and the Cabinet allowed ships from this company to dock in Malaysia from 2002 onwards, adding that "in 2005, the Cabinet decided to permit the ship to dock in Malaysia."
However, given the current situation in Palestine and the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the current government decided to cancel the decisions of the former administration.
