Islamist group once again attacks Starbucks store in Turkey’s Diyarbakır over alleged Israel support

Following the protest of the assassination of Hamas leader İsmail Haniyeh, some protestors tried to attack a Starbucks store over the chain’s alleged support of the Israeli regime.

Sunday August 04 2024 11:24 pm

Duvar English

An Islamist group on Aug. 3 protested the assassination of Hamas leader İsmail Haniyeh in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Diyarbakır’da yürüyüşe geçen binlerce vatandaş hep bir ağızdan;
“Hepimiz Hamas’ın askerleriyiz” pic.twitter.com/2dANLuxGaO
— Nevzat Çiçek (@nevzatcicek) August 3, 2024

The group carried Palestine flags, chanted slogans against Israel, and shouted takbirs, an Arabic term for the phrase God is the greatest.

After a press statement, which called for a boycott against the firms that are allegedly supporting Israel, some protestors attacked a Starbucks branch by throwing stones.

The police barricaded the store before the group reached it due to a previous attack. No damage was caused in the store due to the police prevention.

A police officer told the group, “What befits a Muslim here is to use common sense. Please be discreet. Let's behave in a manner befitting Diyarbakır. We are friends of the police officer who was martyred yesterday in Kastamonu. We are the police officers who save your children from drugs. The stones you throw come to us. Please calm down.”

After the statement, the group left the store.

United States-based businesses such as Starbucks, Mcdonald’s, and Burger King Turkey have been the target of anti-Israeli protestors across Turkey since October 7, with groups entering stores, disrupting businesses, or gunning down windows.

However, the Turkish operations of these chains deny any affiliation with Israel.