Stormzy has addressed the “twisted narrative” over claims that he deleted pro-Palestine posts after getting a McDonald’s deal.
Last month, it was revealed that the rapper had teamed up with McDonald’s for the UK and Ireland’s first Famous Order meal, which gives fans the chance to buy his favourite menu items and a limited edition merch range.
The collab was launched last week (February 12) and met with a lot of criticism due to the fast food chain’s perceived support of Israel. The Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement has supported a global boycott of McDonald’s after franchises in Israel gave out thousands of free meals to Israeli forces following Hamas’ attack on the country on 7 October.
Stormzy has previously been vocal in his support for Palestine, playing at a benefit concert to raise funds for aid in January 2024. However, some fans had noticed that the rapper had removed a social media post from October 2023 that read: “1. Free Palestine. 2. In the future, if there is ever a clear injustice in the world no matter how big or small, 100 times out of 100 I will always be on the side of the oppressed. Unequivocally. As I always have been.” This led to fans calling him out.
Now, he has taken to his official Instagram account to share a statement about the criticism he has received. “Hi guys. I wanted to address some twisted narrative that has been circulating online this past week. Firstly, I didn’t archive the post where I came out in support of Palestine for any reason outside of me archiving loads of IG posts last year. In that post, I spoke about #FreePalestine, oppression and injustice and my stance on this has not changed,” he began.
He continued: “The brands I work with can’t tell me what to do and don’t tell me what to do otherwise I wouldn’t work with them. I do my own research on all brands I work with, gather my own information, form my own opinion and come to my own conclusion before doing business.
“I’m writing this because I know there are people out there who have supported me and rooted for me who are genuinely confused and hurt by what they think has happened and I want to give those people clarity so I hope this helps. I understand it must feel disappointing and disheartening when it seems like someone you’ve championed has compromised their beliefs for commercial gain but this isn’t the case here.”
He closed out his statement with: “Social media and the internet quickly pass judgment without full context. While I want to continue to be open and honest, I prefer not to respond immediately to every misunderstanding or clear up every false narrative that surrounds my name. Lots of love, Stormz.”
Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project are among those who have critiqued the partnership, issuing an open letter (February 13) that asks the rapper to “stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their hour of need and respect the BDS committee’s call for a global boycott of McDonald’s by ending his new partnership with them.”
“Dear @stormzy, help us take genocide off the menu…”
We are calling on Stormzy to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and respect the @BDSmovement call for a boycott of McDonald’s by ending his new partnership with them.
✍️ Write to him: https://t.co/IX7HIkd8fi pic.twitter.com/FhtgnRffi6
— Peace & Justice Project (@corbyn_project) February 13, 2025
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has previously denied that the company has taken sides in the conflict, calling the boycotts “disheartening and ill-founded” and saying they are a result of “misinformation”.
In other news, in November, Stormzy revealed he had once again teamed up with Adidas for the next phase of #Merky Football Careers partnership to launch a new online platform to help Black youth find careers in football.