Coffee in the war's crosshairs

#boycottstarbucks has been used in about thousands of social media posts calling for people to avoid the coffee chain. But why?

Starbucks and the union organizing its workers are suing each other in federal court over a social media post saying "Solidarity with Palestine!" that was sent out by the workers' union in light of the Israel-Hamas war.

The company sued Starbucks Workers United in federal court in October alleging trademark infringement after the union sent out the social media post. Then Starbucks Workers United countersued the coffee giant, asking a federal court in Pennsylvania to rule that it can continue using its name and similar logo and saying "Starbucks defamed the union by implying that it supports terrorism and violence."

Starbucks has put out its own official statement on the war, distancing itself from the union's sentiment.

Now, many coffee drinkers are taking their business elsewhere: Some are responding to the company's response to the union, while others abandoning Starbucks are upset by the union's post about Gaza. The messy web of action signals the complex situation facing corporations amid increasing public division over the war.

Scroll for more headlines from the Paste BN Network about the Israel-Hamas war.

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