A news anchor for a Turkish television outlet was fired after she appeared live with a coffee cup from Starbucks, a company that has supported Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
TGRT Habor, based in Istanbul, fired Meltem Gunay and a program director. The network was aware of “the sensitivities of the Turkish people regarding Gaza” and that Gunay and the newscast director were “terminated for just cause,” read a translated statement from the outlet.
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“We do not approve of this action of the presenter and director, whose employment contracts were terminated, and we strongly condemn it,” read the translated statement.
KAMUOYUNA DUYURU
TGRT Haber TV’nin 24.12.2023 tarihli haber yayınında spikerlik yapan Meltem Günay‘ın önünde Starbucks’a ait bir fincan ile haber sunduğu görülmüştür.
Kurumumuzun ilkeleri gereği spikerin TGRT Haber TV’de herhangi bir firmanın örtülü reklamını yapacak şekilde…
— TGRT HABER (@tgrthabertv) December 24, 2023
Starbucks, like many businesses, has condemned the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which was carried out by the Hamas terrorist group. Since the attack, coffee drinkers in Turkey have aimed to enact a boycott against the coffee chain, along with various protests being held outside chain locations in the country.
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Meanwhile, Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, one of the biggest allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
The Washington Examiner contacted Starbucks for comment.
