After #BoycottHyundai, Desi Twitter trends Boycott KFC, Domino's, Pizza Hut over Kashmir
After a day of shouting boycott at South Korean automaker Hyundai and its sister company Kia Motors, Indian netizens have added these brands to their list of boycotts:
- KFC
- Domino's
- Pizza Hut
- Suzuki of Maruti Suzuki and more
That’s a hefty list to remember! But why are Indians calling for the boycott of so many brands? It’s for the same reason as that of Hyundai. Social media accounts of all these international brands handled by their Pakistan dealers had made posts about Kashmir Solidarity Day, supporting the cause for Kashmir’s secession from India.
1. HYUNDAI
It started after Indian netizens found out that the Hyundai Pakistan official social media handles had posted in support of the Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5, 2022. Hyundai issued two official statements to clarify its stance and also took down the offending posts from its Pakistan franchise’s social media accounts.
In the latest statement, Hyundai Motors said that it doesn’t comment on any political or religious issue in any specific region as its business policy. The South Korean automaker blamed its independent Pakistan distributor for making the unauthorised social media posts using their brand name.
The statement comes after the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) asked Hyundai India and Kia Motors to clear their stance on the issue.
Before this statement, Hyundai had put out another official statement over the controversy saying that the posts were unsolicited. However, netizens refused to accept the apology which many claimed didn’t sound like an apology.
Hyundai is in a joint venture with Pakistani firm Nishat Mills in Pakistan, while the Korean automaker operates independently in India.
2. BOYCOTT PIZZA HUT
Instead of sliding into strangers' DMs and asking them to meet a certain number of likes for free pizzas, Pizza Hut issued an apology to its Indian market over the Kashmir-related posts posted by its Pakistan handles.
Pizza Hut said that "it does not condone, support or agree with the contents of a post circulating in social media".
The verified Instagram handle of Pizza Hut Pakistan had posted the Kashmir-related post on February 5, 2022. It has been taken down following the backlash.
3. BOYCOTT KFC
KFC, which like Pizza Hut, is a subsidiary of the US-based ‘Yum! Brands’ also issued an official apology on Twitter, saying that they honour and respect India.
The fast-food chain had made the Kashmir-related posts on its Pakistan social media handles in 2020 and 2018 that were dug out by Indian netizens.
4. BOYCOTT DOMINO'S
Netizens have also widely shared a screenshot of a Facebook post by the Pakistani handle of Domino's Pizza dated February 5, 2020, that reportedly supported Kashmir Solidarity Day. However, this post has since been taken down.
Domino's also issued an apology saying, "We regret and apologize for the unsolicited social media post published on Domino’s social media handles outside the country."
Angry Indian netizens have listed a string of MNCs whose Pakistani branches seemed to have some questionable political statements regarding Kashmir on their social media accounts.