In early-to-mid June, the side of a local Starbucks was targeted by vandals who left messages about revolution and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian war.
On June 14, a picture went viral on Twitter that showed the words “Free Gaza” and “Intifada is Here” as well as two red inverted triangles spray-painted on the side of the Starbucks at 581 Stewart Avenue in Garden City.
Several accounts sharing the photo described the graffiti as antisemitic or a hate crime.
The phrase “Free Gaza” expresses a pro-Palestinian and/or anti-Israel stance on the current deadly conflict that has drawn notice and controversy around the world.
The Arabic word intifada is used to convey “rebellion,” “revolution,” or “resistance,” as in ‘the French Intifada of 1848.’
![](https://antonmediagroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Starbucks-image-2-500x330.jpg)
Red triangles frequently appear in pro-Palestinian protest signs, referencing anything from the Palestinian flag, watermelon slices or the ACT UP/AIDS awareness/queer rights pink triangle to the symbol used in videos released by Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades to indicate artillery targets. Like its pink cousin, the red triangle symbol also has a history as one of the notorious color-coded badges in Nazi concentration camps: red triangles pointing upward signified prisoners of war, and inverted ones indicated political prisoners.
Starbucks locations around the country and in some cases internationally have been similarly targeted in recent months, in a few cases also sustaining broken windows or doors. Unlike numerous other large corporations that have been targeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrations in recent months and years, Starbucks in not in fact on the “Boycott, Divest, Sanction” or BDS movement’s list of companies that directly support or do business with or have a presence in Israel.
When Anton Media Group visited the Starbucks in Garden City that was targeted with graffiti, only slight traces remained on the side of the location. Employees at the location referred Anton Media to Starbucks’ corporate press office, which was contacted for comment.