Palestinian supporters have come under fire online after dozens stormed a busy McDonald’s store, causing extensive damage.
Hundreds took to the streets of Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday for a pro-Palestine protest, including students who had taken the day off from school.
Wearing traditional Palestinian headdresses and flags, demonstrators marched from Flinders Street Station through Swanston Street to the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre.
Protesters then staged a sit-down, climbed statues and called for an end to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Photos have emerged online of wild scenes stretching to the centre’s food court, with a man wearing a face covering and holding a large Palestinian flag captured standing on the McDonald’s counter as a large crowd looks on.
A shocked onlooker shared photos to Reddit and claimed the man shouted “get back to work, you son of a bitch” when the McDonald’s store manager asked him to get off the counter.
Melbourne Central was flooded with pro-Palestinian supporters on Thursday, including one man who jumped onto the McDonald’s counter
The fast, good giant has faced global backlash from supporters of Palestine over the decision by Israeli McDonald’s outlets to offer free meals to its armed forces during the ongoing conflict.
“The Free Palestinian Movement is great, but I just don’t understand what they think this will achieve?” the viewer captioned the photos in Melbourne Central.
“How can obnoxious minimum wage McDonald’s employees, who have nothing to do with McDonald’s as a multi-billion dollar company, help liberate Palestine?
“I thought only the Israeli branch of McDonald’s provided food to Israeli soldiers? McDonald’s locations have different franchisees and do not directly contribute to or benefit from each other.’
The photos sparked online anger toward pro-Palestinian supporters.
“He’s really not doing much to gain sympathy for his cause, is he?” one commented.
Another added: ‘Let people eat their lunch and don’t scare catering staff. Protest in the streets, not in a food court.”
A shocked onlooker claimed a man standing on the McDonald’s counter swore at the store manager who asked him to go down
Many agreed that the fast food giant was unfairly targeted.
‘The Australian McDonald’s owners have nothing to do with the behavior of the Israeli McDonald’s. This does the opposite: it helps the pro-Palestinian movement while at the same time driving away food service workers who don’t get paid enough to deal with this s***,” one person wrote.
There was some support for the demonstrators.
‘Good! I wanted to do this too! Someone should take a stand,” one person wrote.
The latest incident comes four days after a nearby McDonald’s on Swanston Street was plastered with anti-Israel stickers and smeared with red paint.
Thursday’s rally drew a heavy police presence, but no arrests were made.
McDonald’s Australia has distanced itself from the conflict in the Middle East and reiterated that ensuring the safety of staff and customers is its top priority.
“We are appalled by the misinformation and inaccurate reporting about our position in response to the conflict in the Middle East,” a spokesperson told Ny Breaking Australia on Friday.
Many commentators online agreed that the Melbourne McDonald’s store was wrongly targeted
“McDonald’s Corporation does not fund or support any government involved in this conflict, and any actions by our local business partners with development licensees were undertaken independently without McDonald’s consent or approval.
“Our hearts are with all the communities and families affected by this crisis.
“We abhor violence of any kind and firmly oppose hate speech, and we will always proudly open our doors to all.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our people in the region while supporting the communities in which we operate.”
Thursday’s student protest was inspired by mass school strikes in the US and Britain.
Hundreds of students are expected to flock to Sydney Town Hall for a similar rally on Friday, despite pleas from NSW Premier Chris Minns and Education Minister Prue Car to stay in school.
Pro-Palestinian supporters marched down Swanston Street to the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, where many gathered in the food court