On October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Since then, a conflict has been ongoing, with over 1,400 Israelis and upwards of 7,000 Palestinians killed as a consequence of the war.
Two days after the outbreak of this conflict, Starbucks Workers United made a post on X (formerly Twitter) stating, “Solidarity with Palestine!” The post was up for approximately 40 minutes before it was deleted, though the group made another post on October 20 affirming that they “[stand] with Palestine.”
This has set off a series of lawsuits from both Starbucks and Workers United, with both sides suing each other over issues related to this post. From Starbucks’ side, the company says that the post “angered hundreds of customers and damaged its reputation,” per the Associated Press. The company is also seeking to stop the Union from using the company’s imagery and name.
“Workers United responded with its own filing, asking a federal court in Pennsylvania to rule that it can continue to use Starbucks’ name and a similar logo,” writes Dee-Ann Durbin for AP. “Workers United also said Starbucks defamed the union by implying that it supports terrorism and violence.”
Although Starbucks put out a statement saying that they “unequivocally [condemn] acts of hate, terrorism and violence,” some pro-Palestinian activists are responding to Starbucks’ lawsuit by boycotting the chain and withdrawing their support for the company in any way possible. One user on TikTok recently documented their experience doing just that.
@moesupreme #boycott #starbucks #starbucksunionsolidarity #freepalestine ♬ original sound – M
In a video with the hashtags “#boycott,” “#starbucks,” “#starbucksunionsolidarity,” and “#freepalestine,” TikTok user Mohammad (@moesupreme) shows himself calling Starbucks to have the money on his account returned to his card.
“I no longer support Starbucks because of your stance against the Starbucks Union for supporting Palestine, and for Starbucks for perpetuating genocide,” Mohammad says to the customer service agent. “So, I no longer support Starbucks, and I would love to have my money back into my account. Thank you.”
Much to Mohammad’s surprise, however, he is able to have his funds returned with relative ease, which he says was about $25.
“I really thought they’d be like, ‘No, let’s try and make this work,’” he laughs. Later he adds, “I’m going to miss Starbucks. That’s the thing. Whatever—viva la Palestina.”
In the comments section, many users voiced their support for Mohammad’s actions.
“I did this today too! Got my money back! #boycott Starbucks,” wrote a user.
“Y’all this actually does more than you think,” offered another. “Starbucks operates as a bank based off the card credit balance.”
“It is easy to boycott em with those outrageous prices and greed,” stated a third. “Better coffee out there by the way.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Workers United and Starbucks via email, and Mohammad via TikTok direct message.
