Protesters across several Chinese cities joined boycott campaigns
against US fast-food companies over the weekend in a show of defiance
against the Hague’s ruling on territorial disputes in the South China
Sea.
According to the Hong Kong Economic Journal, patriotic Chinese consumers refused to give business to restaurant chains such as KFC, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut.
Last week the Permanent Court of Arbitration declared
that China’s claims to historic and economic rights in the South China
Sea had no basis in law, siding with the Philippines who brought the
case forward.
It ruled that Beijing had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights
by endangering the smaller neighbor’s ships and fishing and oil
projects.
Beijing swiftly dismissed
the court’s verdict, stating that China’s territorial sovereignty and
maritime interests in the South China Sea will not be affected by the
ruling.
At one city in Hebei province, residents held up banners outside a
KFC restaurant and called on people not to patronize the the outlet.
“Eating KFC food from the US is a disgrace to our ancestors,” one read.
The fast-food boycott is only the latest retaliatory action by
Chinese citizens angered by the ruling. Earlier last week netizens began
smashing up their iPhones and proudly posting the pictures to Weibo.