Starbucks, McDonald's, Coca-Cola Face Boycotts Over Gaza Attacks

(MoneyWatch)  People around the world have taken to the streets to protest recent Israeli actions against the Gaza Strip, but many are also protesting through boycotts -- often targeting U.S. food corporations that are perceived to be symbols of American interests, if not outright supporters of Israel.

Thousands of restaurants in Malaysia have stopped serving Coca-Cola products. Muslim groups there are also calling for boycotts against Starbucks and McDonald's, as well as Colgate and Maybelline. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad even called for McDonald's and Starbucks employees in Malaysia to quit their jobs.

Foreign Policy blogger Joshua Keating has labelled these 'The world's stupidest Gaza boycotts.' "Coca-Cola is a particularly odd target since it's bottled and sold locally by a Malaysian-owned company," he wrote, "so the activists are really just hurting their own country's economy."

Starbucks and McDonald's were forced to refute a text message claiming that the companies planned to donate a week's worth of profits to the Israeli army. The text message was forwarded throughout Singapore and also appeared in Europe, the U.S., India, several Arab countries, and on Facebook.

Ms Linda Ming, communications director of McDonald's Restaurants, said: "This is not something we have done, or would do. Please be assured that in countries where McDonald's operates, McDonald's is locally-run, serves local customers, employs local people, supports local charities and pays local taxes."

A similar SMS targeting only McDonald's seems to be making the rounds in Denmark, worrying local owners.