Three people were arrested after the police attacked the blockade, which was an escalation of the call to boycott the ‘restaurant’, after the fast-food franchise shamelessly donated free meals and 50% discount to Israeli soldiers committing war crimes. Tear gas, flash bombs, physical violence and brutal arrests were seen by the thousands of tourists and locals who pass and enter the McDonald’s in the centre of Greece’s capital. We encourage everyone to show their solidarity with today’s three detainees, on Sunday 11th of February, from 10am at Evelpidon Courts
3 people detained during central Athens McDonald’s blockade in solidarity with Palestine.
Today, a coalition of collectives in solidarity with Palestine initiated a blockade of McDonald’s in Syntagma Square, central Athens, with a banner reading:
McDonalds feeds the Israeli war machine while Gaza starves!
The blockade is part of a global campaign to boycott businesses complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people; to hurt their profits, to shut them down. No business as usual for all the governments and corporations that collaborate, normalise or sympathise with the genocidal Israeli state!
Ultimately, police shoved some of the blockaders inside, whereupon the doors were closed. When the police ripped open the door, they shattered it completely. Once inside, officers grabbed one person taking shelter and dragged them out. After 15 minutes of fighting, during which a second person was apprehended, the police held the two detainees hostage, inside the closed-down McDonald’s, before transporting them in an unmarked van to the city’s main police headquarters.
The action to blockade McDonald’s was a success. With the goal to disrupt business as usual, the crowd of protesters who initiated the action was strong, bold and steadfast; capably and safely performing a blockade to prevent business, while assisting customers to exit safely. Despite the police operation to violently break the mobilization, despite the injuries and arrests, the result was the total shut down of the junk food store for the day!
below is the blockade statement:
Boycott McDonald’s for its ongoing support of the genocide against Palestinians!
McDonald’s must be held accountable for quite literally feeding the Israeli war machine.
Since October 7, the Palestinian people of Gaza have resisted and withstood an Israeli Occupation attack amounting to genocide, which has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians, including more than 10.000 children. The currently surviving population of Gaza has endured 125 days of relentless bombing, mass displacement, forced starvation and enforced conditions that intentionally make life impossible to sustain.
In a disdainful act of support for the IOF – the IsraeliOccupationForces – McDonald’s proudly and cruelly posted on X that it has so far given 100,000 free meals to Israeli soldiers and offers an ongoing 50% discount. Thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers, to fill their stomachs before emptying their guns on innocent, starving civilians in Gaza. Mothers Against Genocide is heeding the call to boycott, shut down and halt business as usual for McDonald’s locations everywhere.
Since the Israeli Occupation launched its genocidal military campaign in Gaza, organic grassroots campaigns to boycott corporations that support this crime against humanity have grown worldwide. The campaign against McDonald’s is one such organic campaign that became popular when the brand’s Israel franchisee [1] donated meals and beverages to Israeli military personnel as they commit genocide and forcibly starve Palestinians in Gaza.
The actions of a McDonald’s franchisee cannot be isolated from the company’s worldwide operations. McDonald’s Corporation, Headquartered in Chicago, U.S, is guilty of endless violations against people, animals and planet. From the catastrophic environmental impact – with reportedly more than 7 million cattle slaughtered, annually, costing their lives and the environment more than 53m metric tons of greenhouse gas -to the exploitation of U.S. prisoners in utilising forced labour; the gesture of feeding genocidal soldiers is emblematic of the capitalist giant’s general moral compass.
Our compass points unwaveringly towards Palestine. Our unflinching solidarity falls solely with the Palestinian people and their resistance against genocide, settler colonial violence and military occupation. Mothers Against Genocide supports calls to continuously disrupt and prevent business as usual for every company supporting, enabling and complicit in the US-funded Israeli-perpetrated genocide of the Palestinian people. Boycotting is the bare minimum action we can collectively take to halt the flow of funds that grease the pockets of capitalists who profit from genocide.
MAKE THEIR BUSINESS UNSUSTAINABLE.
BOYCOTT! DISRUPT! DISMANTLE!
MCDONALD’S FEEDS THE ISRAELI WAR MACHINE WHILE GAZA STARVES
BOYCOTT MCDONALD’S AND OTHER COMPANIES COMPLICIT IN THE GENOCIDE NOW!
VICTORY TO THE RESISTANCE !
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE !
Mothers against Genocide
Source: Athens Indymedia