KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian arm of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates for boycotting Israeli-linked companies, claims that it did not initiate a boycott against McDonald’s Malaysia.
This statement comes in response to a civil suit filed by McDonald’s Malaysia against the BDS movement.
According to BDS Malaysia chairman Prof Mohd Nazari Ismail, the movement has never directly campaigned against the 100% Muslim-owned fast-food chain, but instead supported the boycott initiated by the Malaysian community itself.
“We don’t understand why they (McDonald’s Malaysia) want to sue us because, if you look at our website, we never campaigned for a boycott (against McDonald’s Malaysia). The ones who started the boycott are Malaysians themselves.
“Our stance is merely that we support the people’s decision to boycott McDonald’s. They (McDonald’s Malaysia) claimed that we were influencing the people and defaming them, but we never did,” he added.
Nazari addressed reporters after participating in the finale of the six-day Kepung Demi Palestin rally outside the US embassy today.
Noting that BDS Malaysia might need to resort to crowdfunding to support its legal fees amid McDonald’s Malaysia’s RM6-million defamation suit, Nazari claimed that the global boycott against the company was sparked when it distributed free food to Israeli soldiers.
“Our lawyer has informed them that there is no basis for the suit, but they insist on proceeding with the suit. We’ll leave it up to the courts. We’ll definitely be fighting back,” he said.
On Friday, BDS Malaysia used social media platform X to announce that McDonald’s Malaysia was seeking RM6 million in damages from the registered non-governmental organisation.
McDonald’s Malaysia subsequently acknowledged the civil suit in a statement, saying: “Based on external legal advice, we have filed a civil suit against BDS Malaysia to protect our rights and interests in accordance with the law.
“While we understand and respect that the act of boycotting is an individual decision, we believe that it should be based on true facts and not false allegations,” it said.
McDonald’s operations in Malaysia are managed by Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, which was fully acquired by the Reza Group from Saudi Arabia and a local business partner in 2017.
Of the RM6 million demanded by McDonald’s Malaysia, RM3 million accounts for the loss of profitability resulting from shorter business hours, RM1.5 million is designated for severance compensation to be disbursed to former employees and the remaining RM1.5 million is allocated for the disposal of expired food products and raw material waste.
It is also seeking compensation for exemplary, special and general damages, along with 5% interest per annum and costs, as well as 5% interest on costs.
Additionally, the fast-food chain demands that BDS Malaysia issue an unconditional apology through its website, Facebook and Instagram pages. Furthermore, it insists on the removal of defamatory social media posts featuring the brand’s logo, which called for a boycott, and the revelation of the identities of all parties involved in spreading these posts. – December 31, 2023