Palestinian flag waving outside a Starbucks in Barcelona, Spain (Reuters)

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan said protesters against the company over its stance on Israel's war on the Gaza Strip were "influenced by misinformation on social media" about the company's positions.

In a letter to employees on Tuesday, he pointed out that many Starbucks stores have been subjected to vandalism incidents, explaining that the company is working with local authorities to ensure the safety of its workers and customers.

The coffee shop chain is one of several Western brands under pressure from consumers demanding companies take a stand in the war between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian resistance and has even launched boycott campaigns in some Arab countries.

Seattle-based Starbucks sued in October against a union representing thousands of coffee workers at some 360 U.S. stores after the union briefly posted a statement on social media that the company said "reflected the union's support for Hamas violence."

The company said at the time it unequivocally condemned "acts of terrorism, hatred and violence" and added that it strongly opposed the views expressed by the union.

Starbucks Group shares have suffered losses since Nov. 16, amid a combination of influences, including a widespread popular boycott over Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, employee strikes and weak demand for promotional campaigns.

The shares of this famous group closed yesterday at $97.72, down about $10 from $107.21, incurring losses of about $10 billion.

On Saturday, Mustafa Fahmy, chief strategy and emerging markets executive at Fortress Investments, said Starbucks, which is facing a widespread boycott campaign, has not been able to change its perception despite the promotions because consumers now see it as a partner in supporting the occupation.

He added – in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – that Starbucks will face many challenges in the future, and expected that its financial results for the fourth quarter will be very bad, and will be reflected in the total annual results of the famous American coffee company.

Labor protest

The Coffee Shop Company's workers' union tweeted solidarity with the Palestinians, and Starbucks filed a lawsuit against their union in October, prompting them to strike, especially with accumulated wage demands.

This led to the expansion of boycott campaigns against the company to the United States and other parts of the world after protests began in the Arab and Muslim world, against the backdrop of its widespread solidarity with Israel at the beginning of the war on Gaza.

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Israel is waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip for the 75th day against the backdrop of the Al-Aqsa flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance in the Strip at dawn on the seventh of last October. The Palestinian death toll since the start of the war has risen to about 20,52 and more than <>,<> wounded, most of them women and children.

Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies