PETALING JAYA: Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia has disputed the accuracy of a press release by Gerbang Alaf, McDonald’s Malaysia franchisee which had earlier announced the withdrawal of their lawsuit.
According to the press release issued on March 22, McDonald’s Malaysia, through its managing director, stated that it had withdrawn its RM6 million defamation lawsuit against BDS Malaysia.
However, the activist group contends that this announcement does not accurately reflect the ongoing legal proceedings.
BDS Malaysia, in a statement today, stated that during the initial mediation session, there was no agreement reached due to Gerbang Alaf’s refusal to comply with their demand to denounce Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide.
The group further asserted that they were confident in winning the case should it have gone to a full trial, as they believed Gerbang Alaf’s case against them was “very weak.”
BDS Malaysia also revealed that the legal suit has not been fully withdrawn, as the two parties have yet to agree on the withdrawal terms. The matter is now scheduled to be brought before a court-appointed judge on April 18 for resolution.
The conflict began earlier this year when Gerbang Alaf, the franchisee of McDonald’s Malaysia, sued BDS Malaysia, accusing the activist group of defamation and financial damage due to a campaign against the fast-food chain’s operations in Malaysia.
The tension stems from the franchise’s alleged connections to Israel, with BDS Malaysia pressing Gerbang Alaf to condemn what they call “Israeli crimes of genocide in Gaza,“ indicating that the group is leveraging this legal battle to advance their political agenda.
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