Pepsi’s Lebanon bottler SUED over new logo that resembles the flag of Israel

06/26/2024 / By Richard Brown

The bottler of the Pepsi soft drink in Lebanon has been sued over its new logo for the beverage that resembles the flag of Israel

Beirut-based newspaper L’Orient Le Jour reported that the Lebanese Modern Company for Trade (LMCT) recently introduced a new blue-and-white cap for its glass bottles. The cap featured two blue stripes around the Pepsi name in blue – oddly mirroring the Israeli flag with the Star of David in the middle and two blue stripes above and below it.

But the new logo did not sit well with many, prompting widespread calls for a boycott of the brand in the country. Aside from the nationwide boycott campaign, Lebanese lawyer Mohammed Ziad Jaafil also took action.

Jaafil filed a complaint against the LMCT with the Beirut Public Prosecution Office, accusing the Lebanese bottler of “inciting strife” and “violations of the boycott laws” against Israel. His complaint requested that the company stop using the new logo “due to its similarity in colors and layout to the Israeli flag.”

Jaafil also called for a probe into the LMCT’s representatives in his complaint. He also urged the referral of those responsible for these actions to the appropriate criminal court. According to him, the ones behind the new logo should be slapped with charges related to incitement, normalization attempts and violations of laws prohibiting engagement with the “Israeli enemy.”

Hassan Moraib, a prominent imam in the Lebanese capital, confirmed the filing in a post on X. According to him, Jaafil’s complaint demands the LMCT immediately withdraw its products form the market. (Related: GREEDFLATION: McDonald’s, PepsiCo raising prices beyond inflation to generate bigger profits.)

Locals have also reacted to the new logo with more direct measures. People in both North and South Lebanon attempted to prevent Pepsi distribution trucks from entering their areas, while store owners emptied Pepsi bottles and cans in the streets and destroyed them. One video shared on social media purportedly shows a Muslim preacher expelling a Pepsi distributor from the town of Bar Elias.

LMCT responded to the accusations, denying the “baseless accusations” that it supports Israel in a statement.

Lebanon frequently bans products linked to Israel

“Lebanon supports the Arab League’s decades-long policy of boycotting Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians,” according to Russia Today. “Calls to stop buying goods made by American companies that are seen as supportive of the Jewish state have surged since the latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October.”

Matzav also noted that this boycott also extends to movies. In 2018, Lebanon banned Steven Spielberg’s 2017 movie “The Post” due to the director’s connections with Israel. Spielberg directed the film, which touches on the Washington Post‘s publication of the infamous Pentagon papers.

Shortly after, Lebanon also banned the Australian film “Jungle” that starred actor Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame. The movie recounts the survival story of Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg, who was lost in an uncharted part of the Bolivian Amazon in 1981.

Lebanon shares a border with Israel and is home to the Hezbollah militia, which views the Jewish state as an enemy. Hezbollah and the Israeli military have exchanged rocket attacks across the border.

The Israel Defense Forces announced earlier this month that it had finalized “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.” In response, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group is prepared for a full-scale conflict with Israel.

Head over to IsraelCollapse.com for similar stories.

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