Turkish boycott: In the shadow of the fierce war between Israel and the Palestinians, the Turkish parliament announced that all Coca-Cola and Nestle products would be removed from the restaurants, cafeterias and teahouses of the country's parliament due to the alleged support of the companies on the Israeli side in the conflict.
"It has been decided that products of companies supporting Israel will not be sold in restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses on the parliament campus," Turkish Parliament Speaker Noaman Kurtulmuş said in a statement.
Although the names of the banned companies were not explicitly stated in the statement, a parliamentary source told Reuters that the only drinks removed from the menus were Coca-Cola soft drinks and Nestlé coffee.
According to the source, the decision was made following a demand from the public and as a move to support public sentiment regarding companies that expressed support for Israel's war crimes and the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza. "The speaker of parliament did not remain indifferent to the outcry from the public and decided to remove the products of these companies from the menus of cafes and restaurants in parliament," the source added.
Nestle (illustration), photo: Reuters
"These two companies were mentioned in posts by social activists in the country who called for boycotting products from Israel and companies that identify with or support Israel," he said. Turkey's commerce minister added that since October 7, trade with Israel has declined by 50%.
A few weeks ago, Turkish President Erdogan issued a blunt statement against Israel, claiming that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but a liberation movement that wages war to defend its land. "We have no problem with the State of Israel," he claimed, "but we have a problem with its policy regarding the Palestinians. Israel took advantage of Turkey's good intentions. The countries that support Israel may owe it something, but Turkey owes it nothing."
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