🇹🇷 State-Run Rail Company in Turkey Ends Starbucks Sales

In a significant move that underlines the global impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Turkey’s state-run rail company has decided to stop selling Starbucks products in its dining cars. This boycott marks the first official action against an international brand in response to the ongoing conflict.

Following Turkey’s state-run rail company’s announcement of the boycott on Starbucks products, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has organized sit-in protests at Starbucks stores across the country.

The Turkish state railway company, TCDD, has instructed a contractor to cease selling Starbucks products in the dining cars of its high-speed railway network, as confirmed by company chairman Ufuk Yalcin in a social media announcement last Thursday. This decision is unprecedented, representing the first official boycott of a brand linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

While not explicitly naming Starbucks, Yalcin criticized what he described as the mistreatment of pro-Palestinian Starbucks workers in the United States. He stated, “Our company does not have a contract with the coffee producer that has been accused of mistreating workers for criticizing Israel’s occupation and the suffering of our Palestinian brethren. We have officially instructed our contractor to provide passengers with alternative products instead of those from the mentioned coffee producer.”

Starbucks Turkey and the Kuwait-based Alshaya Group, Starbucks’ brand franchise owner in the Middle East and North Africa, have not provided any comments at this time. Starbucks Turkey’s website’s FAQ section states that the company does not offer financial support to the Israeli state.

In the United States, Starbucks and Workers United, a union representing workers, are currently engaged in a legal battle over the Israel-Hamas conflict. The company has sued the union for a pro-Palestinian tweet, claiming it damaged the brand’s reputation. In response, the union has initiated a counter lawsuit.

In addition to the TCDD’s decision, the AKP, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has organized sit-in protests at Starbucks stores throughout Turkey. Social media posts show AKP members flooding Starbucks locations, displaying Palestinian flags and wearing scarves featuring the flags of Palestine and Turkey. These demonstrations involve silent half-hour sit-ins.

Eyup Kadir Inan, an AKP lawmaker and the leader of the youth branch organizing the protests, stated that around 30,000 AKP members participated in these demonstrations. He emphasized that the protests aim to express solidarity with the Palestinian people who are enduring the conflict and to call for an end to what they perceive as Israel’s actions against the Palestinians.

Protests against Israel have intensified in Turkey following the October 17th explosion at Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital, an incident where both the Palestinian and Israeli sides have blamed each other.

Earlier this week, President Erdogan abandoned his initially moderate stance on the conflict and strongly criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza. He is scheduled to join a pro-Palestinian rally this Saturday, marking three weeks since the unexpected October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel.

To date, the conflict has resulted in the loss of at least 1,400 Israeli and more than 7,000 Palestinian lives.

President Erdogan described Hamas as a patriotic organization fighting for the liberation of Palestinian lands and announced that he had canceled his plans to visit Israel. He also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, raising doubts about the future of the recent improvement in Turkish-Israeli relations.

After over a decade of strained relations, Turkey and Israel fully restored diplomatic ties last fall, with ambassadors returning to their respective capitals. Netanyahu’s planned visit to Turkey earlier this year was canceled due to health reasons, but the two leaders held their first official meeting last month in New York, on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly summit.