On 29th March, rioters attacked a KFC restaurant in Mirpur, Pakistan and burned it to the ground. The attack was to support Palestinians in Gaza, as Pakistanis are attacking foreign companies in Pakistan, including McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks and others. The police reportedly used tear gas to disperse the rioters.
A KFC branch set on fire in Mirpur. A restaurant that’s not even on the BDS list. Great job 👏🏽🙄pic.twitter.com/yTtLwws6HO
— Momin Sheikh (@shaykshack) March 30, 2024
Images and videos of the incident went viral on social media. It appeared that the rioters opened fire at the windows of the restaurant as there were holes, which possibly occurred due to gunshots. A man in a viral video was heard shouting “We have burned down KFC” while cheering.
A KFC outlet in #Mirpur, #Kashmir was torched and razed to ground by a group of unknown people amid ongoing calls for boycotting international food chain over links to #Israel amid #Gaza war.
— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) March 30, 2024
KFC #Pakistan is the franchise of #KFC which operates more than 120 locations across… pic.twitter.com/06T2IWtd9c
In a video posted on social media, the restaurant was engulfed in flames. The customers who were inside the restaurant at the time of the attack were seen running out to escape the fire. The rioters were chanting slogans including “We burnt KFC”.
Reports suggest that the rioters were shouting anti-Israel and pro-Palestine slogans as they burnt down the store. Around 50 rioters were arrested by the police. Several raids took place in search of more culprits.
Daily Mail quoted a British national in the city for a holiday who saw the riots. Speaking to the media house, he described the scene as aggressive and frightening. He pointed out that the police present at the scene were useless as the rioters outnumbered them.
KFC is one of the most popular fast-food destinations in the city. However, the rioters destroyed it completely, aiming to attack the foreign company that they claimed was a supporter of Israel in the Israel-Hamas war. Earlier on 21st March, a KFC branch was shut down by the protesters in Peshawar.
A mob closed down the #KFC in #Peshawar in solidarity with people of #Palestine @kfc @kfcpakistan_ pic.twitter.com/gQwRtpLejd
— Zia Ur Rahman (@zeeea) March 21, 2024
In February this year, Pakistanis called for a boycott of the Pakistan Super League cricket tournament, as KFC was one of the sponsors. KFC’s Middle East unit has reported a decline of 5% in sales for the last quarter as many Muslim countries are facing similar boycott movements against the fast food chain.
CEO David Gibbs reportedly said during an earnings call to the investors that the conflict impacted the top line sales across the Middle East, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Starbucks is also facing similar boycott calls. Last year, McDonald’s also faced identical attacks after it gave away thousands of free means to Israeli forces and citizens after the gruesome 7th October terrorist attack by Hamas.
7th October terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel
On 7th October, Hamas terrorists launched an all-out attack on Israel from sea, land, and air. At least 5,000 rockets were launched into Israel from Gaza, and tunnels were used to breach the Israeli territory and butcher Israeli civilians, particularly in the border villages. A music festival hosting more than 200 people was turned into a slaughter ground with many women raped, mutilated and abducted to Gaza. At least 1,300 people, including some foreign nationals, babies, women and senior citizens, died in the attacks. More than 200 were abducted and taken to Gaza. Following the attack, Israel launched a counterattack to eliminate Hamas. The Israel-Hamas war entered its 176th day on 31st March 2024.
