© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The emblem of a Starbucks espresso store is seen in New York June 25, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Picture
(Reuters) – Starbucks (NASDAQ:) CEO Laxman Narasimhan mentioned on Tuesday folks protesting in opposition to the corporate over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict have been “influenced by misrepresentation on social media” of what the espresso chain stands for.
Narasimhan, in a letter to workers, famous a lot of Starbucks’ shops have skilled incidents of vandalism, and added the corporate has labored with native authorities to make sure the security of its staff and clients.
The espresso chain is amongst a number of Western manufacturers which have come underneath stress from shoppers calling for firms to take a stance within the Israel-Hamas conflict, with some even going through boycott campaigns in some Arab international locations.
Seattle-based Starbucks additionally sued the Employees United union in October, which represents hundreds of baristas at about 360 U.S. shops, after the union briefly posted an announcement on social media that the corporate mentioned “reflected” the union’s “support for violence perpetrated by Hamas”.
The corporate on the time mentioned it “unequivocally condemns acts of terrorism, hate and violence”, including it strongly disagreed with the views expressed by the union.
