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The New Arab wrote on Nov 3:

Egyptian consumer goods have, in recent days, flourished as a direct result of a massive boycott campaign targeting the sales of Western products amid an ongoing Israeli war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. [...]

On Thursday, 2 November, the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC) called on citizens in an official statement to suspend the boycott movement, which has been taking a toll on local businesses. [...]

McDonald's Israel has ignited the situation after it gave away food donations and discounts to Israeli soldiers following the ongoing Israeli-Hamas fighting that had claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians, sparking the outrage of Egyptians and Arabs in general.

McDonald's Egypt, however, declared its support of the Palestinian cause, donating millions of pounds.

But the US franchise's attempt to appease the public did not stop Egyptians from antagonising the once-most favourite fast food restaurant. [...] Most Western restaurants have, in recent days, put forward special offers and discounts to garner customers. [...]

Once one of the most favourable coffee places in town, the originally American Starbucks, was almost empty of guests on a Friday morning, the first day of the Weekend in Egypt, where occupancy is always the highest.

Are people in other countries besides Egypt boycotting Western brands, as a result of the war in Gaza?

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  • I'm aware those mentioned are American brands, but I'm curious if the phenomenon might have been broader, elsewhere, hence 'Western' in the Q.
    – 264 champagne bottles on ice
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 13:18
  • I think it is impossible to tell whether consumer patterns have changed in response to the Gaza war. A reporter noting that a Starbucks coffee house is "almost empty" is not much evidence of an effective boycott. What brands states and NGOs have called for a boycott of might be easier to answer.
    – Gaslight Deceive Subvert
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 16:10
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    Secondary and tertiary boycotts are an old practice in this conflict, although most of Arab countries haven't lately enforced them. See Arab League boycott of Israel
    – Wag the mainstream media dog
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 16:35

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Yes, these boycotts have been occurring across the Arab world and in other Muslim-majority nations. To give some examples, the Turkish parliament has removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from outlets on the parliamentary estate, in Malaysia, brands such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Starbucks have been targeted. Similar brands have been targeted in Pakistan. In Jordan, some supermarkets have placed warning signs next to products of American origin. It seems that social media campaigns are the source of many of these boycotts, which have spread without much regard for national borders.

Some brands have attempted to respond - many McDonalds franchises in Arab-majority countries, for example, have expressed support for Palestine and donated to Gaza, while seeking to distance themselves from actions of the franchise outwith their respective national borders.

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