Grab says it 'sides humanity' after posts by founder's spouse goes viral

 

Super app Grab was forced to come forward to stress that the company is "on the side of humanity" after viral Instagram posts made by its founder Anthony Tan's wife prompted boycott calls against the e-hailing, food delivery and financial services company.

In the Instastories, Singaporean Chloe Tong, 32, shared how she was "heartbroken" and that she "fell completely in love with Israel" during her two extended trips there this year and how her seven-year-old son shared the sentiment.

In its statement today, Grab said it was "on the side of humanity and hopes for peace and a ceasefire”.

"We do not support any form of violence and as a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, we are aligned with its principles and respect the protection of human rights," Grab said in a statement, referring to "a social media post that has been circulating".

It also shared a clarification, apparently from Chloe, who was not named but only referred to as "the individual".

In the clarification, she said the screenshots were "taken out of context" and were from posts she made "before I understood all that is happening with Israel and Gaza".

"Like the rest of humanity, I hope for a ceasefire and peace," said Chloe, who is also the daughter of Edge Media Group owner and Star Media Group main shareholder, Tong Kooi Ong.

Boycott calls

The ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel has triggered international boycott calls against various businesses that are said to have links or to support Israel.

In England, an activist released mice into a McDonald's outlet in protest, after McDonald's Israel announced that it had offered discounts and thousands of free meals to Israeli military personnel.

McDonald's Malaysia, which has been owned by a Saudi group since 2017, has also clarified that it is 100 percent Muslim-owned and that it did not endorse the decision by the franchise owner in Israel.

"A unilateral decision made by an individual franchisee should not be considered a global action, company policy, or the official political stance taken by McDonald's globally," it said in a statement on Oct 15.

McDonald's Malaysia has also contributed RM1 million to the Palestine humanitarian aid fund.

More than 9,000 Palestinians including more than 3,000 children and more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed since violence broke out on Oct 7. - Mkini