Stormzy appears to have deleted posts supporting Palestine just as McDonald’s launches a campaign to “Order Like Stormzy.” Middle East Eye reported that the Instagram post in question was a post calling for Free Palestine where Stormzy wrote in the caption:
In the future, if there is ever a clear injustice in the world, no matter how big or small, 100 times out of 100 I will be on the side of the oppressed. Unequivocally. As I always have been. Social media is a brilliant way to stand up for what is right, but there are also a whole load of other ways to do this.
It particularly rankles when Stormzy, who has stood on the side of the oppressed time and time again, folds for perhaps the ultimate symbol of corporate capitalism.
Stormzy: Ronald made me do it
The advert features people having Stormzy’s voice coming out of their mouths as they order the same items. By the by, Stormzy’s order – nine nuggets, fries, barbecue sauce, a sprite, and an Oreo McFlurry – isn’t even specific enough to warrant an advertising campaign of this size. That’s to say nothing of Stormzy conveniently hiding his previous support for Palestine as soon as that McDonalds cash came calling.
McDonalds has been on the boycott list since October 2023, with the group Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) releasing a statement saying:
McDonald’s Israeli franchisee has supported the Israeli occupation forces with free McDonald’s meals during the ongoing genocide of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, prompting the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the largest Palestinian coalition that leads the global BDS movement, to endorse the organic, grassroots-led worldwide boycott campaigns targeting McDonald’s to end complicity in apartheid Israel’s crimes.
There was huge backlash after McDonald’s gave free meals to thousands of Israeli soldiers in 2023. After that particular move sparked boycotts, McDonalds ended up buying back the Israeli franchise that operates McDonald’s 225 outlets in occupied territory. Since then, McDonald’s CEO has admitted that the worldwide boycott by supporters of Palestine has hurt the company’s profits.
It’s a hell of a turnaround to go from saying Free Palestine, promising to always stand on the side of the oppressed, to getting a presumably million pound contract with a company on the boycott list, and then deleting the post about standing against oppression.
It is that deep
It’s no wonder people on social media feel betrayed by Stormzy:
I can’t lie, it’s deleting the post that says Free Palestine that makes the McDonalds deal far worse. You can argue the deal but deleting the very smallest bit of advocacy you did is nasty work. Stormzy did not need to do that.
— s (@jesuissamii) February 12, 2025
Given McDonald’s gigantic business and marketing operations, it seems unlikely that the post wasn’t taken down without their direction:
The fact McDonalds and Stormzy likely had a business conversation to DELETE his Palestine posts is disgusting enough.
Stormzy is a McDickhead
— Dev
(@DevAlwaysSmiles) February 13, 2025
Stormzy’s actions are a far cry from the Stormzy fans thought they knew:
What happened to the that Stormzy said"Fuck the Government, Fuck Boris" and called out Theresa May and the racist Daily Mail at the Brits?
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 13, 2025
It’s precisely his previous actions that make this hard to swallow:
That's precisely why the criticism is valid & necessary.
His community work is remarkable, but that cannot absolve Stormzy (or anyone else) of criticism. He's being held to a standard he set for himself.
Withdrawing public support for Palestine for McDonald’s is a choice. https://t.co/yChzE9VPc9
— Tops (@SincerelyTops) February 13, 2025
Whoever is advising Stormzy is doing a crap job.
I hope McDonald's paid him really, really well because it's going to take some serious heavyweight PR for him to fully recover from this – he even deleted social media posts beforehand.
He was our golden boy. I'm so disappointed.— Lorraine King (@lorrainemking) February 13, 2025
No matter how you slice it, Stormzy’s fucked up:
I see Stormzy has deleted all his “Pro Palestine” posts on insta in exchange for a deal with McDonald’s
That money is drenched in Palestinian blood, fuck him and fuck McDonald’s.
— JonnyUtd (@Fx1Jonny) February 13, 2025
Still disappointed in Stormzy
There have been a hell of a lot of celebrities and other public figures who’ve remained silent on Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Of course, celebrities speaking out should not be the only metric of social progress on an issue, but their actions matter. And, their actions matter even more when, like Stormzy, they have a history of speaking out about injustice and oppression. What is Stormzy’s public persona if he’s not standing up for oppressed people? Evidently, it’s not one that fans want.
Featured image via the Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.