Local Starbucks boycott puts spotlight on war machine, killings in Gaza, Israel

Those protesting the killings in Gaza took to the streets of The Dalles on Nov. 28.

By Ken Park

The Dalles, Ore., Dec. 8, 2023 - A small group of Pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the Starbucks on 6th Street in The Dalles on Nov. 28, calling for a boycott of the corporation, claiming that it is funding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in the Middle East.

“Two months into the war, the grinding offensive has triggered renewed international alarm. U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe,” and Arab and Islamic nations called for a vote Friday on a draft Council resolution demanding a humanitarian cease-fire,” according to a Dec.7 story by the Associated Press.

“At least 17,177 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to Gaza Health Ministry figures, while 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas incursion into Israel, according to Israeli tallies,” Reuters reported the same day.

Rosie Strange of the Gorge Liberation Movement organized the protest in The Dalles in November.

“I noticed that The Dalles Chamber of Commerce was going to be doing a ribbon cutting for this Starbucks remodel, and I wanted to gather as much attention as I could to the genocide actively happening in Palestine and is being funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars as well as private corporations such as Starbucks,” Strange said. 

Strange said she based her statement on information she gained from an article from the Middle East Eye, a digital news organization based in the United Kingdom that covers the Middle East and North Africa extensively.

The Gaza Strip is home to more than 2.3 million Palestinians and is governed by Hamas

The article talks about the boycott of Starbucks in Turkey due to the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza since the Oct. 7 attacks by the Palestinian Militant Group Hamas. 

While experts are debating whether the conflict is a “genocide”, it is demonstrable that Palestinian and Israeli citizens are suffering or dying in the conflict, which stems from centuries-old anger over who has a legitimate right to land.

Calls for Boycott

Some Turkish people have called on customers and patrons of Starbucks to stop buying their coffee, believing that the company is supporting/funding Israel.

Many Pro-Palestine supporters believe that Starbucks, Mcdonald's, and other large corporations are directly funding/aiding Israel.

Protestors outisde of Starbucks in The Dalles at the corner of Sixth Street and Cherry Heights Road on Nov. 28

In the case of Starbucks, the belief is that by purchasing Starbucks products, customers indirectly support Israel, as two of Starbucks's largest shareholders are Vanguard and Blackrock. Both companies have invested heavily in Israel and weapons manufacturing companies that hold contracts in Israel. 

Vanguard's funds hold approximately 90.5 million shares of Starbucks, comprising about 7.7 percent of the total number of shares outstanding with a market value of nearly $6 billion, according to  Investopedia in 2022.  

BlackRock's funds hold approximately 84.3 million shares of Starbucks, comprising about 7.2 percent of the total shares.

UNION MATTERS

However, according to the Middle East Eye and  NBC News, the calls for boycotts and protests against Starbucks began when the company filed a lawsuit against the Starbucks Workers Union (SWU. The union has 9,000 Starbucks employees in 360 locations. And just a few days after the Oct. 7 attacks, someone at the Starbucks in Iowa City posted to X, formerly Twitter, a “Solidarity with Palestine” post, above an image of a Hamas bulldozer knocking down a fence during the attack.

The Iowa City Starbucks took the post down about 40 minutes after its initial post, with SWU officials saying it was not authorized.

Starbucks Corporate Vice President Sara Kelly promptly attempted to distance the company from the conflict with a statement on its website.

“As a leadership team, we want to express again our deepest sympathy for those who have been killed, wounded, displaced, and impacted following the heinous acts of terror, escalating violence, and hate against the innocent in Israel and Gaza this week. Starbucks unequivocally condemns acts of hate, terrorism, and violence.” Kelly said.

Starbucks has been accused of and vehemently denied funding Israel in the past when it was under the leadership of founder and former CEO Howard Shultz, a self-proclaimed Zionist who received a 50th Anniversary Tribute Award from the orthodox Jewish educational organization Aish Ha-Torah in 1998.

Shultz stepped down from his role at Starbucks in March but was named “lifelong Chairman Emeritus.”

Chamber Silent on Conflict

Members of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce were at the Starbucks but did not engage with the Pro-Palestine protesters and opted to hold the ribbon cutting inside the newly renovated location.

When reached for comment on the protest, the Board Chair for the Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer Gonzalez, said she was not in attendance, but other members were; the other members offered no comment, nor did the manager for the Starbucks location.

Strange has been organizing protests and counter-protests in the Columbia River Gorge for years, having organized several protests, marches, and calls to action, such as the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and protests for reproductive rights following theSupreme Court Reversal on abortion in the landmark case of f Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Several Obscenities

During the Nov. 28 protest, there was very little interaction or counter-protesting. However, one man aggressively approached the group and yelled obscenities at them before driving off.

“At this point, organizing for as long as I have in Wasco, Hood River, and Klickitat Counties, I recognize that Wasco County, in particular, can be a dangerous place to do any kind of grassroots activism that highlights the struggles of people, especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) people,” Strange said. “So at this point, I mostly judge for safety and maintain safety for all the people involved in any rally, protest, or march I organize and try to de-escalate aggressive situations.”

Strange said the goal of the protest was to educate and bring awareness to the situation in Gaza.

“I hope to educate people and help draw awareness to the genocide and mass murder of people that is actively happening in Gaza, including children and families that are just unarmed and unable to escape.

The United States and Israel have been allies since the founding of Israel in 1948.

According to the Washington Post, On Oct. 7, the Palestinian Militant Group Hamas broke through the “iron wall” that separates Gaza from Israel, killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis, and captured about 250 people in villages along the Israel/Gaza border.

Hamas is classified internationally as a terrorist group and the military and governing body of Gaza that came into power in 2007.

Since then, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing over 16,000 people, including over 6,000 children, with financial and military backing from the United States. 

U.S. President Joe Biden requested a $106-billion aid package from Congress for Israel and Ukraine. The House passed a $14.5 billion aid package to Israel alone on Nov. 3 that likely will not pass the Senate. Furthermore, Biden said he would veto the spending bill because it did not meet the initial request, nor did it include funding for humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

Palestine Flag drawn in chalk outside Starbucks in The Dalles

In addition to the bombardment, the Israeli government has cut off access to Gaza’s water and electricity, creating a vast public health crisis in the region.

A ceasefire was initiated on Nov. 22 to allow for a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. Hamas handed over 100 Israeli prisoners, while Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners, according to the Associated Press.

The ceasefire ended on Dec. 1, and Israel has continued its bombardment of Gaza.

At least three Palestinian human rights groups, Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, along with some United Nations officials, have called the attacks by Israel in Gaza a genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

The rights groups have filed lawsuits with the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, demanding the arrest of Israeli leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Millions of people throughout the world have taken to city streets to call for a long-term ceasefire in Gaza. 

The Associated Press reported that protesters blocked off one end of the Manhattan Bridge in New York and the Bay Bridge in San Fransisco.

Seattle TV news station KIRO reported that protesters shut down the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle on Black Friday.

BBC reported tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of London multiple days in a row to call for a ceasefire.

But how does protesting outside a local Starbucks location have an impact?

Co-organizer for the Gorge Liberation Movement protest, Jane White, said that just making the statement “no business as usual while genocide is occurring”  is a decent response.

“Just because we are going about our normal day getting food, water, and warmth, these things are all unavailable to Palestinians, and it's because it's being withheld from them by the people funded by businesses like Starbucks,” White said.

Chalk art drawn by protestors in The Dalles.

In terms of more protests here in the Gorge, Strange said there are more in the works but no dates yet. 

“Gorge Liberation Movement wants to bring all world issues to our region to highlight that we are all impacted and intertwined within this work to create liberation for all people,” Strange said