A McDonald’s restaurant in Clermont-Ferrand, France, was the target of an attempted act of destruction, with authorities investigating the incident as a potential hate crime. The prosecution has opened an inquiry for “Attempted destruction by dangerous means committed due to belonging or non-belonging, true or supposed, from the victim to a determined ethnicity, nation, race or religion.” The suspect,described as being in their sixties,remains at large and their motivations are currently unknown.
This incident follows a pattern of Pro-Palestinian activism targeting McDonald’s, which has become a prominent symbol for activists. The multinational corporation faced widespread criticism and boycott calls after announcing in November that it woudl provide thousands of free meals to the israeli army. Further fueling the controversy, McDonald’s announced on April 4th an agreement to acquire the alonyal group, the franchisee owner of its 225 restaurants in Israel, which has held the licence for over three decades. These actions have reportedly had a negative impact on the company’s turnover.
In a separate but related incident last April, a McDonald’s restaurant under construction near Toulouse was set ablaze. The activist group “la Frite Insoumise” (The Rebellious Fry) claimed duty for that act, stating it was in “support of the Palestinian people, and against the new firm expansion strategy.”
