'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Thursday, May 30, both NCT's Renjun and WinWin allegedly expressed their support towards Palestine and called for a boycott of the K-pop boy group's upcoming collaboration with Starbucks. Renjun posted an Instagram story with three emojis, a coffee cup, a heartbreak emoji, and the "NO" sign emoji.
Fans naturally interpreted this as a message on his stance against the group's collaboration with Starbucks, asking fans to boycott the same. However, this story was soon taken down. WinWin, however, posted an Instagram post with the caption of two emojis, a cat emoji and a watermelon emoji.
Since watermelon alludes to Palestine's flag colors, fans believe he was also supporting Palestine and against the Starbucks collaboration. It was recently announced that NCT and Starbucks will collaborate to release merchandise and other related things.
Trending
Since many believe that Starbucks supports Israel, netizens have been heavily boycotting the brand since October 2023. While they believe the boycott has reaped a lot of benefits to support Palestinians, they are also worried that these collaborations might disrupt the boycott.
Therefore, they've been happy about the NCT members supporting Palestine, at least indirectly, though they can't take a public and straightforward stance.
NCT members allegedly speak up for Palestine following the group's upcoming collaboration with Starbucks
Recently, SM Entertainment announced that their K-pop boy group, NCT, will collaborate with the beverage brand, Starbucks, along with the release of a special merch collection. However, fans weren't happy with the announcement since citizens around the world are currently boycotting the brand. In October 2023, many people suggested that Starbucks allegedly supports Israel.
Starbucks employees went on strike against the brand after the brand fired and removed its union members and other employees who posted on their social media platforms supporting Palestine. This led to many people's conclusion that Starbucks has been supporting and contributing to Israel and its actions that harm the innocent lives of the people in the Gaza Strip.
While the boycott has been going well, every time a celebrity or any individual is seen interacting with Starbucks, a controversy naturally erupts. Netizens have been against celebrities who bought from the boycotted brands, as this not only showcased their alleged support to Israel but also motivated their fans to buy from these brands, disrupting the boycott.
However, since a collaboration on a large scale, such as the upcoming one between NCT and Starbucks, will lead to many more people interacting with Starbucks, netizens were naturally worried about the effects it would have on the boycott.
Before Renjun and WinWin's post, Taeyong was the first to speak up about the issue. The idol posted an Instagram story with a black screen with one word typed on the corner of the story which read "boycott". Fans immediately knew he was referring to the collaboration and people's interaction with Starbucks.
Fans are happy to see the NCT members stand their ground in their stance against collaboration. They also hope that more members speak up, at least indirectly, and they also wish that the collaboration doesn't roll out as fans have been loudly expressing their disinterest in the same.
