Malaysia’s halal activists against the attack of Palestinians by Israeli forces have launched a boycott of products they said were linked to the latter, starting with Coca-Cola.
A video showing members of the nonprofit Malaysia’s Islamic Consumers Association, or PPIM, removing dozens of Coca-Cola bottles from a grocery store in Kuala Lumpur has been circulating online since yesterday. The five-minute-long video also showed the group, led by lead vigilante Nadzim Johan, 62, peeling the brand’s labels off of a drinks fridge and placing a sign that said “We do not sell Coca-Cola here.”
They nearly set those labels on fire outside the store before deciding to stomp on them.
“It looks like we can’t burn the material, so we need to step on it,” Nadzim was heard saying in the video, inviting three others from the restaurant next door to join in the Coke-stomping fun.
Coca Cola’s representative in Malaysia has reacted to the video, stressing that the drinks were made locally. It also weighed in on the violence between Israel and Palestine, saying that it was “deeply concerned.”
“Like everyone of goodwill, we want to see peace in the Middle East and everywhere else,” they said.
Coca Cola was among brands listed by PPIM as those linked to Israel that it was boycotting. Others include coffee chain Starbucks, sports brand Puma, and tech company Hewlett-Packard.
“This is a symbol of our disappointment towards companies who are helping Israel. If this does not get their attention, we will target other companies,” Nadzim said in the video, later adding: “We hope our friends and family members will join us in this boycott.”
Some of the brands were also mentioned in the website of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, or BDS, which also listed insurance company AXA.
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