Malaysia is a country with Muslims in the majority and, therefore, it is a firm supporter of Palestine. In this support, a movement, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), in Malaysia has emerged which has boycotted the Western fast-food chains for their involvement in military offenses caused by Israel in Gaza. Due to this movement, the business of these brands is in the red. One such brand is McDonald’s Malaysia, the licensee of which has sued BDS, Malaysia for hurting its business and causing damage to nearly 6 million ringgits ($1.31 million) due to defamatory statements.

License holder of McDonald’s, Malaysia, Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd (GAR) has sued the movement due to its social media posts that linked the franchise with Israel’s war against Palestinians that is going on in Gaza.

According to Reuters, in a writ of summons on 19th December, GAR alleged BDS of provoking the public as a result of which they boycotted McDonald’s Malaysia. This boycott has led to severe damages like job cuts and loss of profits as fewer customers resulted in shortened opening hours or complete closures for the franchise. As of Friday, McDonald’s Malaysia has confirmed that it has filed the suit for the protection of its rights and interests.

BDS, on the other hand, has partially denied the allegations and has left the matter to the court. The sole purpose of the BDS movement is to pressurize Israel to follow international law and to stop the international community from supporting Israel in oppressing Palestinians.