ALBAWABA - 108 KFC restaurants throughout Malaysia will be temporarily shut down, according to The Straits Times, by QSR Brands, the company which owns and runs the restaurant chain in the country, following boycott calls.
McDonald’s resorts to buying all 225 Israeli franchise restaurants as it suffers from boycottAn anonymous QSR source has reportedly told The Straits Times that the firm views the boycott as a chance to shut down some KFC restaurant operations that have been burdening its financial sheet, adding that multiple KFC outlets across the country are hanging “temporarily closed” banners, with workers reporting closure of restaurants for over a week given the lack of customers.
While KFC is not on the list of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, according to Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail, chairman of the pro-Palestinian group, Malaysians have reportedly been associating the brand with the Israeli war on Gaza, since Yum Brands, KFC’s parent firm, invests in Israeli ventures according to The Witness.
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) describes themselves as a movement for equality, justice, and freedom that is spearheaded by Palestinians with the basic tenet that Palestinians should have the same rights as everyone else, it has been gathering support since Israel launched its war on Gaza which killed to-date over 34,488 Palestinians and injured 77,643 some.
On its website, QSR Brands states that it runs over 480 Pizza Hut concept outlets and delivery services in Malaysia and Singapore, in addition to 850 KFC locations in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Cambodia.
Due to demonstrations over US backing for Israel earlier this month, KFC was forced to close its first location in Algeria two days after it opened, according to Anadolu Agency, with Boycott calls reaching other franchises like McDonald’s and Starbucks for their support of Israel.
