Turkish news anchor fired for appearing on-air with Starbucks coffee cup

Turkish news anchor Meltem Gunay was fired from the TGRT Haber TV channel after she was broadcasted with a cup of coffee from the global coffee chain Starbucks, Walla reported on Tuesday.

The channel issued a strong condemnation of the presenter and director working there and made it clear that it was terminating their contracts.

"The presenters on the channel are forbidden under any circumstances to advertise any company covertly," they said. It was also reported that the channel "knows the sensitivities of the Turkish people when it comes to Gaza, and we intend to protect those sensitivities to the end."

Starbucks, however, does not operate in Israel.

Management vs. Workers union

Starbucks is considered a pro-Israel company in Turkey following a conflict that broke out between the employees and the management of the chain. Shortly after the events of October 7 and the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the workers' organization published a message of support for Palestinians while ignoring the Israeli victims of the massacre.

In response, the management filed a lawsuit against the workers' organization on the grounds that its members violated a trademark and also on the grounds that the announcement angered the company's customers and harmed its reputation.

The workers' organization then filed a counterclaim claiming that the company supports terrorism and violence.