Watan-In a victory for Palestine and in solidarity with its people, and in rejection of the Israeli brutal war on the Gaza Strip, Algerians succeeded in forcing the American fast-food restaurant “Kentucky Fried Chicken” (KFC) to remove its logo from its branch in “Bab El Oued” in the Algerian capital, two days after its opening.
This came after several protest rallies organized by Algerians in front of the new American restaurant building, demanding adherence to the boycott campaign against the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip.
“ماتكونش لا سمح الله”.. وقفة أمام مطعم “كنتاكي” في #الجزائر للدعوة لمقاطعته بسبب دعمه الاحتلال#حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/hgwWV2JLRr
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) April 15, 2024
Protesters raised slogans including: “Don’t be, God forbid” (quoting a famous phrase by Abu Ubaydah), “Your cause is more important than your stomach, don’t buy”, “Boycott Kentucky, Kentucky out out.. and Algeria free free” in support of the Palestinian cause.
While the Algerian movement succeeded in removing the Kentucky logo from the restaurant’s facade, activists called for the immediate closure of the restaurant, launching a campaign on the “X” platform under the title (Boycott KFC Algeria).
Algerians considered the rush to the restaurant as participation in the aggression on Gaza.
وفاءا لتلك النظرة ..#مقاطعة_KFC_الجزائر pic.twitter.com/sr4js0JX7j
— إسلام (@islam_khenfour) April 16, 2024
The protest escalated into physical assaults on women who were gathered wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, complicating the negative boycott and prompting some to cover the brand sign with a banner and then completely remove it after the damage caused to the building, according to the Algerian newspaper “Echorouk”.
Media reports mentioned that the idea of opening a branch of the American fast-food chain in Algeria has been discussed for about two years, and it was officially opened on April 14th in the city of Bab El Oued in the Algerian capital. Some activists rushed to display the prices of meals, which they considered to be very high, in order to deter Algerians from buying KFC meals.