The hospital in germany didn't reply to the final letter within the time limit set by my lawyer, so no settlement. We're suing them :/

hi i hope this didn't sound insensitive at all and I'm genuinely genuinely asking but why is McDonald's a major company to boycott? recently i had done some research as i got into a problem w some people i knew constantly going there and i was really frustrated so i thought let me give them an excuse. because it hurt me that they would continually go there despite the boycott and honestly there is no reason to go, they could say cravings but ive craved it so much and i just couldn't shake the idea of how betrayed the people of Palestine would feel and just how immoral it'd be, also whenever i had imagined consuming something from there l couldn't shake the feeling that it felt like i had participated in what's going on. I constantly thought to my self how unnecessary of a decision it was for McDonald's to give free meals to the devils of the world. anyway through the research i had found that like most franchises the isnotreal McDonald's is owned by an isnotreali who had decided to use the funds produced by the several stores he owned to give those disgusting pigs free meals. McDonald's had come out and said that they aren't pro isntreal and that they don't get involved in political matters and they had also bought back all the stores in isntreal so that something like that could not happen again. and that being a franchise there's a McDonald's somewhere in the UK that had worked with a donation company or smth of the sorts and donated to Palestine- im not sure if it was exactly this but very much along the lines. what im trying to say is why is McDonald's such a big focus point if they have done that but companies like Sephora owned by Lvmh and the CEO Bernard arnault aren't of higher priority. The man had invested 120million dollars into an isnotreal cybersecurity company. And under LVMH are so many companies. Could you possibly give me insight into why this is.

I have a couple opinions as to why I think McDonald's is a priority in terms of boycotting, but of course, I'm no expert. I listen to vulnerable voices and those leading the BDS movement, and if they see it as a large pressure point, then we should take it seriously.

I haven't eaten at McDonald's in over fifteen years. I can't really say that I have an attachment to it, so this call to boycott was just regular life for me. I stopped going there because my parents stopped going there; I just never grew up eating or enjoying their food. Usually, I spend what could be McDonald's money on meal kits from my local grocery store, because the price of a full meal and one of those is basically the same, if not cheaper.

But with that aside, I think the purpose of the McDonald's boycott is not only because they service IOF soliders who literally have boots on the ground in Palestine and are responsible for the death, displacement, and destruction of millions of people -- but also because of the accessibility and cultural claim that McDonald's has.

You brought up the idea of LVMH, Sephora, and billionaires like Bernard Arnault, and while it's completely true that these companies play a role in funding the blood machine, these companies are not daily purchases or necessities to the common folk. If you asked someone to boycott Sephora, that would be an incredibly easy thing for most people to do because

Not everyone wears makeup. Actually, a good portion of the population doesn't. I don't wear it, either.

Makeup is not a necessity. People do not need makeup to survive the way they need food to survive. Fast food restaurants, regardless of their quality, tend to provide quick meals for the working class.

A lot of makeup products are of a luxury value and the average joe can not dish out $100+ every time they want a to buy a product. Sixty dollars for a setting spray? Two-hundred for a perfume? Not realistic.

So the purpose of targeting luxury companies in terms of severe pressure is a bit counter productive since most people do not buy or engage with luxury products in the first place. When was the last time you bought a Celine bag? What about a Bulgari watch? If you are a regular consumer of these brands, it would be best to boycott, but I understand why those leading the BDS movement are not prioritizing telling everyone to boycott companies that require thousands of dollars to engage with in the first place.

McDonald's, on the other hand, is highly accessible and cheap, so they have a much larger audience and reach on the global market. They are active in over 120 countries and serve tens of millions of people a day. McDonald's also has a considerable cultural value, often being described as a type of "hamburger diplomacy" as it can cross borders that many politicians can't. It has specialized regional menus, it's been recreated/meme'd in television shows, in animes, it's a common landmark that people can recognize from miles away. McDonald's is a common man's playground, and to cripple or make waves against a multi-billion dollar company starts by mobilizing its consumer base of literally anyone.

Anyone can be a customer at McDonald's unless they're a child or have no flowing income. If not food, you can buy drinks. I think this is another reason why Starbucks is also an easy boycott target because it's also easily accessible. Sure, their drinks are a bit overpriced, but it's nothing too crazy for the common person to dish out.

This is a grassroots boycott. Common people tend to influence the culture and guidelines of acceptability. The more pressure that is placed on these giant cultural conglomerates, the more normalized that denouncing Zion!sm and the atrocities of Isnotreal will become. Just ten years ago, if you even said a peep about Palestinians, it meant instant termination. Instant silence. In some ways, that is still true today, but we are seeing more institutions that traditionally remained silent join in on the cause to help support Palestinians and Palestinian statehood. Seeing all of these nations come together is actually kind of crazy, I'd never thought I'd see the day that any country in Europe, or any country, for that matter, would stand up and recognize Palestine as a state.

During the Civil Rights movement, it was the people who came to protest. People in the government were backing racist institutions and promoting segregation. Civil disobedience against the ruling class made it possible for legal pathways to be opened to help lead to an integrated state.

We need to make Zion!sm unacceptable in our culture. In our businesses. In our life. We should not make room for it, the same way we should not make room for any facets of bigotry. And how we do that is by pressuring cultural hubs and their many exports.

But, sure, McDonald's could buy back all of their businesses to prevent free meals being sent to the IOF, but they still function in close proximity and have voiced their support for the continuation of business in Isnotraeli regime... To put that in perspective, when Russia invaded Ukraine, McDonald's pulled out of the country quickly with plans to return in the next decade if political conditions improved (some of the restaurants that could still be open in Russia are prior franchises and are likely being run without McDonald's permission). So much for not being engaged in political matters, right? If they really cared about an apolitical stance, they would've remained open in Russia. If they cared about what was going on, they would've completely left Isnotreal by now as well.

Also, if we really want to get technical, they kept calling it a conflict in their McDonald's UK statement. Conflict. As if it's not genocide.

Even if it this was an independently run business, wouldn't you as a multi-billion dollar company with an image to uphold, closely monitor the political affairs of those who are using your name and license? Also, this alleged close source to the company saying they're "engaging with local communities when they are in need" and it's the fucking IOF is crazy. What are they in need of? I guess sniping infants and running over civillians with tanks on an empty stomach is hard work.

But again, this is my two cents. I'm not really the boycott queen, I just understand the importance of where to decide to put your money. There are many Palestinian-run accounts who report on these movements more in depth than I ever could, so the best thing I can do is put in the effort to support them.