It is hard to know what to make of the sheer mindless stupidity of some people who claim to support the cause of Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Boxes of live rodents have now been released at a number of McDonald’s restaurants, apparently as part of pro-Palestinian protests.
One incident took place on Monday in Birmingham. Video footage widely shared on social media shows a man wearing a Palestinian flag on his head, carrying a box filled with mice from the boot of his car and into the McDonald’s branch in the Star City leisure complex. He tips the mice — painted the colours of the Palestinian flag — on to the floor of the restaurant. Diners flee as the mice scurry across the floor. The man appears to shout: ‘Boycott Israel’ and ‘Fuck Israel’. The video footage, apparently filmed by an accomplice, ends with text on the screen calling for a boycott of brands that are ‘directly involved in supporting the Israeli apartheid’.
A similar protest took place at the city’s Perry Barr branch of the fast food chain on Tuesday. Videos on social media showed dozens of rodents being released into the dining area, with staff desperately rushing round in an effort to contain them. A group of protesters are seen entering the restaurant and shouting: ‘Free Palestine’. West Midlands police is investigating at least one of the incidents, which is being treated as a public nuisance offence.
Worryingly, the protests appear to be spreading. Vandals are reported to have attacked a McDonald’s branch in Keighley in Yorkshire, this time releasing stick insects. What appeared to be a pro-Palestine gang also targeted a local branch of Starbucks – footage shows hooded men armed with hammers striking the windows of the coffee chain.
The protests appear to be spreading
Why have McDonald’s and Starbucks been targeted in this way? Calls to boycott the fast food chain come after McDonald’s Israel announced that it had offered discounts and thousands of free meals to Israeli military personnel. Franchises in some Muslim majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey immediately dissociated themselves from the Israeli franchise. This has nothing whatsoever to do with branches of the fast food chain in Britain. McDonald’s has condemned the protests as well as what it called disinformation over the Israel-Gaza war, adding that it was not ‘funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict…’
Just as daft is the targeting of Starbucks. The company has attracted the ire of some protesters for taking action against some union workers for posting a message (which has since been deleted) expressing solidarity with Palestinians. Starbucks’ official statements on the war have expressed sympathy for innocent victims in both Israel and Gaza.
It is quite unfathomable what the protesters hope to achieve with their mindless campaign. How does throwing mice into a restaurant better the lives of Palestinians in Gaza? Does frightening families while they’re eating their burger and fries really help elicit empathy or sympathy for the Palestinian cause? Isn’t it more likely to alienate people, and engender irritation, anger and worse?
The aim would appear to be disruption for disruption’s sake and the inevitable publicity it brings. In this sense, the pro-Palestinian supporters are following on the heels of eco-protest movements like Just Stop Oil — intent on disrupting the daily lives of ordinary people in aid of some perceived greater cause. It is a form of performative action that is becoming depressingly common. It means saying and doing things, not because they are persuasive or effective, but merely to demonstrate a belief that your cause is so worthy that it gives you an automatic right to inconvenience the lives of everyone else. The obvious objection that this really isn’t a sensible or helpful way to win an argument or elicit support matters not a jot.
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