Bangladesh Protests Over Gaza Escalate: International Brands Vandalised Amid Misinformation

Last Updated Apr - 09 - 2025, 05:55 PM | Source : Fela News

Protests in Bangladesh over Israel's Gaza offensive lead to vandalism of global brand outlets like Bata, KFC, and Puma, wrongly believed to have Israeli ties. O

Fresh protests in Bangladesh over Israel’s offensive in Gaza have escalated into widespread vandalism and looting of international brand outlets, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Puma, and Bata. Demonstrators, mistakenly believing these companies have ties to Israel, targeted stores in cities like Dhaka, Sylhet, Khulna, and Chattogram. Viral videos show mobs looting shoes from Bata stores and damaging KFC and Puma outlets. Over 70 people have been arrested in a police crackdown ahead of Bangladesh’s first global investment summit under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

Bata, originally from the Czech Republic, clarified it has no links to Israel and condemned the attacks. Puma, a German company, ended its controversial sponsorship of the Israel Football Association in 2024. Domino’s Bangladesh is operated by India’s Jubilant FoodWorks, while its Israel franchise faced backlash last year for supporting Israeli forces. KFC, an American company, acquired an Israeli marketing firm in 2021. The violence underscores widespread misinformation and misdirected outrage amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.