Airport says Starbucks sales are a ‘temporary’ measure as critics point to boycott over Gaza and firm’s conduct toward unions
A ‘new’ cafe in Dublin airport’s Terminal 1 is still selling Starbucks products under a different brand name, Skwawkbox can reveal.
The airport announced the opening of its new ‘Vista’ cafe on Thursday in what is said was a unit ‘previously occupied by Starbucks:
But critics were quick to link the announcement to the boycott of Starbucks by many in response to the firm’s links to Israel and its ongoing anti-union activities in the US, with hundreds of responses like the examples below:
Starbucks has seen its share price hit since the boycott on sales, despite the company CEO issuing a statement that Starbucks ‘condemns violence, hate, lies and weaponised speech – he did not mention Israel or Gaza in the statement – and that Starbucks ‘stand[s] for humanity’.
Starbucks in the US has been engaged in a long campaign against unionisation by workers that saw leaked video in 2022 show the firm’s founder begging store managers to step up their anti-union activities – and the firm suing the union for trademark infringement. Boycott calls grew after a post went out on the Starbucks Workers Union official Twitter account posted a message of solidarity with Palestine after the widely-misrepresented Hamas raid last October and Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza that has killed over 30,000 civilians, more than two thirds of them children and women. Starbucks share price has fallen by around seven percent since the boycott. It is not the only global brand to see profits fall – McDonalds’ CEO has admitted that the business has taken a ‘meaningful’ hit.
A spokesperson for Dublin airport confirmed that the Vista cafe is using Starbucks products, but told Skwawkbox that both the brand and the product usage were temporary and that the Starbucks cafe closed because its contract had run out:
Vista is a temporary brand. Starbucks closed at the end of December as their contract expired. An exciting new local coffee brand will be permanently moving into this location in March. Until then, the new operator (using Starbucks’ products) is running the unit temporarily as Vista, ensuring passengers get their caffeine fix.
This change is part of a major overhaul of the food and beverage offerings in T1 and T2 at Dublin Airport which will happen over the coming months. Passengers will see several units operate on a temporary basis in the short term – under generic brands – while the fit-out works are completed.
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Boycott- #Starbucks #McDonalds
#BDS……
“Boycotts against Israel dig deeper than merely examining what consumers buy at the store. BDS asks supporters to abstain from Israeli cultural institutions, and even to refrain from working with Israeli universities and academics that it alleges help prop up dehumanizing narratives about Palestinians and the occupied territories. One oft-used BDS strategy is urging musicians, artists, and other celebrities not to visit Israel. Earlier this year, British singer Sam Smith cancelled a show in Israel after BDS pushback. Other artists who have cancelled or postponed performances in Israel include Elvis Costello in 2010, Lauryn Hill in 2015, and Lana Del Rey in 2018. Also in 2018, Lorde cancelled a performance in Tel Aviv after activists called on her to join the boycott of Israel. (Eurovision, the multi-country singing competition, was a boycott target in 2019, the year Israel hosted. The event took place as planned.) In 2017, Seattle Seahawks player Michael Bennett pulled out of a trip sponsored by the Israeli government, citing Muhammad Ali as a role model who “stood strongly with the Palestinian people.” “
With an “embedded press”, BDS is very important. Do your bit. Thanks SW.
https://www.vox.com/world-politics/23935054/boycott-movement-palestine-against-israel-bds
Could the Staff working in this new enterprise assure us all that they have new contracts. A change of name means agreements will usually contain a provision for exactly this kind of situation. And the agreement will automatically transfer (novate in legal terms).
Where this is not provided for, companies that change names – usually due to mergers and acquisitions etc., – will have all employees sign a standard single page letter recording the change and their acceptance of the assignment of the contract with the ‘new’ entity.
If your company has done neither, maybe a brief email to your CEO and head HR is in order.
Off topic: Just watching the live match on BBC – Arsenal v Liverpool. Likely to be seen by a fair sized proportion of the populace. Within the last few minutes the electronic advertising boards have shown an advertisement with just two words:
“Visit Rwanda”
Which raises the thought as to whether football stadiums in Israel are showing adverts extolling people to ‘Visit the DRC’?
First question is who killed the most civilians on 7th October, the IDF or Hamas
Second question, acting in self defence at best would justify an eye for an eye, so a few hundred innocents
If you don’t accept parity then by definition you are guilty of Genocide, then there are the public declarations from Israel representatives of intent, which are quite unique
Maya Angelou
When someone shows you what they are, believe them
The ICJ can order Israel to stop any further slaughter in the next 2 weeks, Genius for the Yanks and the West would be to order Israel to stop before that decision is made
Firstly, given the no comment facility on the more recent Skwawkbox story about Herr Starmer supporting UK military action against Yemen this thread will have to suffice for pertinent observations.
Larry Johnson puts such fantasies into perspective in his most recent post…..
https://sonar21.com/britain-is-a-bad-joke-especially-its-military/
…which highlights (a) the desperation of the UK Navy in having to advertise on Linkedin for an Admiral to run the UK Submarine contingent of the UK Navy because no one suitable is either available of coming forward from within the RN ranks; and (b) the actual state of the RN in particular and the UK military in general in terms of ability to both recruit sufficient personnel……
“Intake for the Navy and Royal Marines dropped 22.1 per cent compared with the previous year, while the RAF dropped by almost 17 per cent and the Army by nearly 15 per cent.
….and maintain major military assets such as Carriers and other vessels – which are in any case obsolete in modern military terms (floating coffins against undefensible hypersonic ordnance).
The embedded video clip of Andrei Martyanov is a gem which demolishes such pretentious 19th Century gunboat jingoism.
The point being that what we are seeing here with the Starmer wing of the Uni-party is merely another manifestation of the unworkable operating system (touted by half wits like Billy no mates as the only ‘credible’ option) which prioritises ‘Being’ over ‘Doing’. Performative virtue signalling and made up fantasy over practical reality.
As the blog poster auriian observed back in 2022:
“these kinds of statements, divorced from any practical action, have now become the norm in politics. Reality now consists of media statements, press conferences, tweets, arguments on television, ceremonies and empty gestures.”
Secondly, and because this site only permits one URL link per posting this will require two further posts, readers of this site may be interested in (i) a petition link aimed at diplomats throughout the wider international community (not the Gardens ‘rules based order’ one) calling for support for South Africa’s Genocide case against the Israeli Regime and (ii) a link providing direct contact details to key diplomats – including the UK and USA – for those who might wish to follow this up with more direct pressure.
Links provided below:
First link to petition:
https://www.codepink.org/icj
Second link, as promised:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KC1oEbkcE_Tfeg-8zFVy2QbiHym2uTATwyHIsil2UTM/edit#gid=0
Israel is what happens when there are no consequences for your actions, Jews committing Genocide, for the love of God it has to stop
South Africa’s formal action against the Israeli Regime to the ICJ:
https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf?
Why ‘the left’ needs a new party (even though FPTP and the ’embedded’ MSM will murder it):
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/israeli-knesset-member-targeted-removal-office-after-signing-petition-accusing-israel
The alternative is Sir Rigger’s Labour.