DIGIVESTASI - McDonald's Malaysia has been hit after filing a lawsuit against the Malaysian-led boycott movement against companies suspected of supporting Israel. 

Previously, Pintu Alaf Restaurants, the local licensee of McDonald's Malaysia, filed a lawsuit in a Kuala Lumpur court against pro-Palestinian groups related to the BDS movement for damages of 1.3 million dollars (equivalent to IDR 20 billion). 

The legal action comes after the fast food chain took center stage in a consumer boycott in Malaysia, which targeted companies known to support Israel. The licensees insist that they have no ties to Israel, although they do support the Palestinian cause.

McDonald's was one of the companies hit hardest by the global boycott after one of its subsidiaries in Israel gave free meals to Israeli soldiers days after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.  However, the decision to oppose the boycott movement in Malaysia was met with derision on Malaysian social media and was full of insults. 

"Boycotting companies like this is a personal choice and up to each consumer," said Sheryl Ho of the Youth Party, quoted by AFP, Wednesday (March 1). "Nonetheless, anyone who is sane and has never boycotted [McDonald's] before will definitely do so," she added. 

Other netizens said the boycott decision came from their conscience because of what they saw happening in Gaza, Palestine, and not because of boycott calls.

SCMP quoted another social media post by X as saying: "McDonald's has lost customers for life, not just because of this boycott."

Most upsetting for Malaysians was that the company asked BDS Malaysia to pay compensation of 1.5 million ringgit (equivalent to Rp 5 billion) to employees fired as a result of the three-month boycott. "They fired their employees to save costs and make others pay?" " asked X user Syafiq Fadli.

Inspired by the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, the BDS movement is a global effort to non-violently pressure Israel to comply with international law by boycotting, divesting and imposing sanctions on countries and organizations that support Israel. However, the global movement's website does not list McDonald's as a target company. Repeated calls to boycott brands are part of an organic movement in society. 

But BDS Global says it supports the boycott because the brands openly support Israel's genocide of Palestinians. Malaysia is one of the most vocal countries on Palestine and has been clear in its support for Hamas, while resisting Western pressure to condemn the militia.

Perdana Menteri Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim  menyampaikan posisi negaranya kepada Presiden AS Joe Biden pada KTT APEC di San Francisco, dengan mengatakan ia harus mengatakan kebenaran kepada pemimpin tertinggi dunia.