The Turkish Parliament has announced that the products of companies known to support Israel will no longer be sold at the cafeterias, teahouses and restaurants on the parliament grounds in protest of Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, Turkish media outlets reported.
A statement from the Parliament Speaker’s Office said the decision had been made to “support public sentiment regarding boycotting products of companies that have openly declared their support for Israel’s war crimes [and] killing of innocent people in Gaza.”
According to the health ministry in Gaza, more than 10,500 people — mostly civilians — have been killed in more than four weeks of war in Gaza.
The Israeli attacks started after Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 people in Israel — also mostly civilians — and took over 240 hostages in an unprecedented attack on Oct. 7.
The ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have sparked angry protests and calls for a boycott of Israeli companies or pro-Israeli brands in Turkey as well as all around the world.
There are many images on social media showing lists of brands that posters claim are either Israeli in origin or pro-Israel, with people calling for a boycott of their products.
Although the parliament did not refer to any specific product in its statement, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a parliamentary source, that Coca-Cola beverages and Nestle instant coffee were the only brands removed from menus, adding that the decision was meant to respond to a “huge public outcry against these companies” for supporting Israel.
Dozens of videos circulating on social media show people pouring Coca-Cola on the ground in protest of Israel.
Turkish activists have in recent days named both companies in social media posts that call for boycotts of Israeli goods and Western companies they view as endorsing Israel.