Recently in a blog, I asked if it was safe to visit Starbucks, because there are stock traders who sit in some of the stores conducting their business, and recently they are losing large sums of money. One day I witnessed two near altercations by two of these traders. Of course my intentions begged humor; nevertheless, there may be some good reasons to be cautious. Rightfully or not, this global corporation has accumulated some protestors and problems.
An investigation reveals a startling number of incidents against the international, coffee-shop-chain.
Yesterday, a bomb exploded in the Starbucks on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
On May 4, 2004, persons unknown tried to place a Molotov cocktail inside the Starbucks in Portland, Oregon.
Starbuck’s union problems resemble the Wal-Mart situation. There is a Stop-Starbucks site that urges Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz to “Quit following Wal-Mart's anti-union example and give your workers what they want, Mr. Schultz. They will not trust you until you do.”
On Saturday May 5, 2007 Sheffield, England: Food Not Bombs staged a protest in front of the Broomhill Starbucks, acting in solidarity with the IWW’s “Justice from Bean to Cup” campaign.
In Seattle during the World Trade Organization’s 1999 meeting, violent demonstrators attacked a McDonald’s, a Starbucks, and a GAP to protest these promoters of the “corporate agenda.”
There is a “Boycott Starbucks” group on Facebook that makes the claim, “The head of Starbucks, Howard Shultz is an active Zionist and has been recognized by the government of Israel… It has been reported that a percentage of Starbucks profits go directly to the Israeli government.”
An Egyptian cleric, Safwat Higa said during a sermon delivered on Al-Nas TValso asking for a Starbuck’s boycott stated, "The girl in the Starbucks logo is Queen Esther. Do you know who Queen Esther was and what the crown on her head means? This is the crown of the Persian kingdom. This queen is the queen of the Jews. She is mentioned in the Torah, in the Book of Esther. The girl you see is Esther, the queen of the Jews in Persia."
Further, "We want Starbucks to be shut down throughout the Arab and Islamic world. It is inconceivable that in Mecca and Al-Madina, there will be a picture of Queen Esther.”
In January, 2009, Protestors firebombed a Starbucks in London, in a suspected anti-Israel protest.
Also in January, 2009, demonstrators in Beirut forced a Starbucks to close.
In addition, December 4, 2004, activists picketed Starbucks in Aberdeen Scotland. This was part of an awareness campaign, conducted by Industrial Workers of the World, citing Starbucks unethical practices.
This short list doesn’t fully cover all of the incidents that have occurred, nor does it provide adequate answers as to who is behind these events.
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