The first time I saw a McDonald’s was during my first week in Egypt, back in February 2024. The familiar logo stood out, but what caught my eye was the Palestinian flag hanging by the door.
The McDonald’s logo and the Palestinian flag, in my mind, did not belong side by side, as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) had advocated for a boycott of the American chain.
In October 2023, McDonald’s Israel offered free meals to Israeli soldiers, and a picture later surfaced of a McDonald’s paper bag, a rifle lying next to it, inside an Israeli tank in Gaza.
I walked closer to the restaurant out of curiosity and looked inside. There were no customers, just empty tables.
I told myself that the restaurant was empty because of the boycott, even though I could not know for sure. Still, it felt good to feel that there was a sense of solidarity and support for our shared struggle in Palestine. Yet, then again, maybe this McDonald’s in Mansoura, where I was now living, was just not a popular location.
As months went by, I kept an eye on this McDonald’s, and I noticed that it was not always empty.
Even when McDonald’s admitted that its international sales had slumped, this particular location in Mansoura, about two hours north of Cairo, seemed to be attracting at least some Egyptians.
This was troubling to me. I had been forcibly displaced from Gaza by the Israeli genocide, but it seemed that life outside of Gaza carried on, with little thought for the boycott. (more...)
Boycotting McDonald’s in Egypt
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