A campaign has launched in Lebanon to prevent Pepsi Cola vehicles from entering and distributing its products in several towns, in solidarity with Gaza and in support of the boycott of companies that support Israel. Reports indicate that the first delivery truck belonging to Pepsi was turned back from the Qasr area in Hermel, and the driver was asked to inform the company not to send its vehicles again.
Several statements have been issued in various villages and towns announcing the prohibition of distributing Pepsi Cola beverages in these areas, including Qasr, Hermel, Baalbek, and the Zahrani region. Families and clans in the statements said this step is part of “solidarity with the people of Palestine and in response to Pepsi's unjust challenges and its advertisements supporting the Israeli enemy.”
**Pepsi's Response**
Earlier today, the Lebanese Modern Trade Company, the franchisee for Pepsi bottling, released a statement denying accusations regarding support for Israel, stressing that this “false accusation has no basis in truth.” The statement added that “the company wants to confirm it is a Lebanese company and one of the first to support and contribute to the national industry, incorporating over a thousand Lebanese families from all regions, and these families do not accept being betrayed.”
**Report Against "Pepsi"**
In this context, the National News Agency reported that lawyer Mohamed Ziad Jafail filed a complaint alongside the Public Prosecution Office in Beirut following the Lebanese Modern Trade Company’s alteration of its trademark to resemble the Israeli flag, placing it solely on the caps of its bottles while retaining its old logo on the packaging at the same time, unexpectedly introducing it into the Lebanese market. He requested the “suspension of this trademark's circulation and the obligation for the company to withdraw its products from the market immediately, and to investigate the company representatives and refer those who committed these acts to the relevant criminal court for prosecution for inciting strife and attempting normalization and violating the boycott laws with the Israeli enemy.”
