Lebanese throwing Pepsi products on the ground
A new campaign launched in Lebanon is calling for a boycott of the Pepsi soft drink brand after the company's logo displayed on its bottles was changed to a design that reminds the locals too much of the Israeli flag.
Previously, the company logo was colored in red, blue, and white, but its new symbol is colored only in blue and white, with the name Pepsi in the center, at the same point where the Star of David is located on the Israeli flag.
This change has sparked outrage in Lebanon, with social media users posting images and videos against the company. One video shared on X (formerly Twitter) shows a group of people on the beach pouring out the contents of Pepsi bottles. In another video, the bottles are seen thrown on the ground.
Some of the posts called for against Coca-Cola as well as Pepsi, "because of the companies' contributions to Israel." One user wrote, "Pepsi changed the bottle caps to the Israeli flag. I have never seen anything more despicable. But the worst part is that we continue to buy their products."
As part of the boycott campaign and efforts to prevent the distribution of Pepsi products in the country, several towns in Lebanon announced they were banning Pepsi vehicles from entering their areas on Thursday.
The first Pepsi truck was turned back from the Qasr region in Lebanon, and the driver was asked to inform the company not to send its vehicles there again. Pepsi vehicles were also banned from entering the regions of Hermel, Baalbek, and Deir Ez Zahrani. The areas have been reported to have experienced Israeli attacks in the past. A video showing the blocking of a Pepsi truck was also circulated on social media.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that attorney Mohammed Ziad Jaafil appealed to the Public Prosecution Office in Beirut, requesting to halt the distribution of bottles with the commercial logo due to its alleged resemblance to the Israeli flag.
He also called for the company to be forced to withdraw its products from the market, investigate its representatives, and prosecute those responsible for "incitement and violation of the boycott against the Israeli enemy."