Burning McDonald's arches unrelated to Israel-Hamas war

"A McDonalds sign was set on fire by a group of Pro Palestinian protesters because of McDonald's continued support to the IDF," says a January 21, 2024 post on X, formerly Twitter.

The image circulated elsewhere on X alongside references to an ongoing push to shun the fast-food chain after it offered free meals in Israel.

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Screenshot of an X post taken January 23, 2024

Israel declared war against Hamas after the Palestinian Islamist movement carried out the bloodiest attack in the country's history on October 7, 2023.

Hamas fighters crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed about 1,140 people -- mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's relentless offensive in response has killed at least more than 25,000 people in Gaza, around 70 percent of them women, children and adolescents, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

As the war continues, activists have advocated boycotting companies such as Starbucks and Zara -- efforts that have been accompanied by misinformation.

McDonald's remains the target of backlash after its Israel branch announced on social media in October 2023 that it was donating meals "to all those who are involved in the defense of the state, hospitals, and surrounding areas" (archived here).

But the picture of the golden arches on fire is unrelated to any boycott efforts.

A reverse image search on TinEye surfaced the picture in a Newsweek article from November 27, 2023 (archived here).

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This screenshot taken January 23, 2024 from a November 2023 Newsweek article shows a photo of a McDonald's sign on fire

"A picture of the Golden Arches ablaze on Whangaparāoa Road, Auckland," says the caption of the image, attributed to an area resident.

Local media reported people nearby had for months raised concerns about the sign's flickering (archived here).

Fire and Emergency New Zealand told AFP it was "called to a fire at a McDonald's restaurant in Stanmore Bay, Auckland on 26 November 2023, after a member of the public reported a sign was on fire."

"It was determined that the cause of the fire was accidental, likely caused by an electrical fault," an agency spokesperson said January 22, 2024.

A McDonald's spokesperson confirmed to AFP in a January 23 email that the image shared online is "not from any recent boycott activities."

'Meaningful business impact'

McDonald's has previously been the subject of misinformation related to its stance in the Israel-Hamas war.

"McDonald’s Corporation is not funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict, and any actions from our local Developmental Licensee business partners were made independently without McDonald’s consent or approval," the company said in a statement sent to AFP.

CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a January 4 post on LinkedIn that "several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated misinformation that is affecting brands like McDonald's" (archived here).

In December, McDonald's Malaysia sued a pro-Palestinian group for $1.3 million over its calls to boycott companies allegedly supporting Israel.

AFP has debunked other claims about the Israel-Hamas war here.