No, Qatar has not closed McDonald’s and the video showing a McDonald’s billboard getting bulldozed is 5 years old

A video of a McDonald’s billboard getting bulldozed went viral on social media with the claim that Qatar has decided to close all the outlets of McDonald’s. An X handle named Mr_Cool shared the viral video and wrote, Big Breaking Qatar decided to close all McDonalds #BoycottMcdonalds.

बिग ब्रेकिंग Qatar 🇶🇦 ने सारे McDonalds को बंद करने का फैसला किया #BoycottMcDonalds pic.twitter.com/XfD6ve4OUw

— Mr_CooL (@MR_CooL77777) December 29, 2023

Mobin LLB shared the video and wrote, All McDonald’s are being closed in Qatar #BoycottMcDonalds.

🚨ब्रेकिंग न्यूज#कतर मैं सारे #McDonalds को बंद किया जा रहा है👍👍🇵🇸#BoycottMcDonalds pic.twitter.com/1TBiIeWgn1

— Mobin LLB (@immobink) December 29, 2023

Propagandist Firdaus Fiza shared the video and wrote, Qatar has started closing McDonald’s, Great Move!

Qatar ने McDonalds को बंद करना start कर दिया है…!!
Great Move ….!!#GazaMassacare#ceasefireNowPermanently #BoycottMcDonalds pic.twitter.com/FIVtdWm7ON

— Firdaus Fiza (@fizaiq) December 29, 2023

Apart from this Aliraza Ansari and Mohammad Sahil Sajjad also shared the viral video on X and made similar claims.

Qatar announced to close all outlets of MC DONALDS
pic.twitter.com/sEHZh43Hwx

— Aliraza Ansari (@Aliraza_f5) December 29, 2023

बिग ब्रेकिंग Qatar 🇶🇦 ने सारे McDonalds को बंद करने का फैसला किया #BoycottMcDonalds pic.twitter.com/zeVajv9H46

— Mohammad Sahil Sajjad 🇮🇳 (@mr_sahil_099) December 29, 2023

So, is it true that Qatar has started closing all the outlets of McDonald’s? Let’s Fact Check.

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Fact Check

While researching the claim about Qatar closing McDonald’s, we couldn’t find any official news or report supporting it. After this, After this we decided to reverse search the viral video to verify it’s authenticity. During this, we came across a YouTube video titled “McDonald’s Demolition” on the Simpson Dirt Construction channel, uploaded way back on October 28, 2018. This video looked exactly like the viral one. However, the big surprise was that the video was actually five years old and not recent.

After this, we came across a report by Doha News published on October 14, 2023. According to this report, McDonald’s in Qatar made a significant move by pledging a generous QAR 1 million donation for humanitarian aid in Gaza. This decision came after the Israeli branch of McDonald’s confirmed its donation of thousands of meals to the Israeli military, amid a distressing situation in Gaza.

The report further mentions McDonald’s Qatar, an enterprise completely owned and run locally by Al Mana Restaurant and Food Company, introduced the #For_Palestine campaign. This initiative aims to swiftly provide crucial help like food, water, shelter, and care to assist and alleviate the needs of the people in Gaza.

The statement shared with Doha News emphasized that McDonald’s Qatar operates in a responsible and independent manner—both socially and financially. They made it clear that they have no ties to the actions or decisions of other McDonald’s branches worldwide. Stressing their separation, they highlighted that the McDonald’s in Israel operates separately from the Qatar branch and makes its own business choices, completely unrelated to their operations.

Since its establishment in 1995, McDonald’s Qatar has grown to encompass a total of 74 restaurants across the Gulf nation. They proudly stated their role in strengthening the national economy by creating jobs, partnering with local businesses, and contributing to economic growth.

Hence all these points prove that the claims of Qatar closing its McDonald’s outlets are misleading. Furthermore, the viral video depicting a McDonald’s billboard being bulldozed is not a recent event but rather a dated incident from five years ago.

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