Lebanon crisps brand pulls packaging over 'pride' colours
Mistaking prism light colours for 'gay pride' symbolism, an anti-LGBTQ social media campaign has forced a food company in Lebanon to end packaging for one of its brands
3 min read
The logo of light dispersion has been confused for 'homosexual colours' by many people [Getty]
A potato crisps brand in Lebanon has pulled a long-standing logo on packets of chips depicting the seven colours of a prism after coming under fire by people falsely accusing the makers of promoting homosexuality.
Master Chips released a statement after "rumours" about the motive for including a small rainbow on the cover of its long-running 'Snackers' products.
Some Lebanese homophobic campaigners from across the religious spectrum had falsely claimed the prism was included to promote homosexuality leading to the company buckling under the criticism
The makers said: "The company wants to clarify to the public and consumers that it has been using the packaging with that drawing for more than ten years and has nothing to do with other logos or symbols as some claim.
"The company will stop using the packaging for its 'Snackers' product to put an end to the unjustified abuse it is being exposed to," the company said.
It follows a crackdown on the LGBTQ community and perceived symbolism in the region with authorities taking bizarre measures against anything depicting the colours of the rainbow, which have been used in the West as a 'pride' symbol.
توضيحٌ من شركة #ماستر "#تشيبس" بشأن رسم "#قوس_قزح" https://t.co/1vc1zH8d4y@mgdaher @LBpresidency @MawlawiBassam @Najib_Mikati pic.twitter.com/Ji15bIOgc1
— Lebanon Debate (@lebanondebate) June 27, 2022
Master Chips is produced by Daher Foods, founded and owned by MP Michel Daher from east Lebanon’s Zahle, which produces a range of other snacks.
The makers called on people to be more "responsible "and not partake in campaigns "aiming to harm the industrial sector in Lebanon" as the country reels under a devastating economic crisis.
The fox drawing on the chips' 'Snackers' edition clearly depicts light travelling through a prism, but instead of a pyramid, it's replaced with the flavour item.
The paranoia has prompted many to take to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the company, calling for a boycott and an apology over the so-called "pride" symbol.
❌🚨❌🚨
— رجا صالح (@B1oLmjigtmBu5bp) June 25, 2022
بطاطا Master الماستر
شو عم تحاول تخبر أولادنا ؟!
بالـ 2022 ما في حدا ما بيعرف هيدا الشعار لشو بيرمز
يعني مش حدا يطلع يِجْدِبها ويقول قصدنا وما قصدنا
هذا الشعار شعار المثليين ❌ معا" نحو المقاطعة لأجل حماية أولادنا
و إعادة ريتويت
حفاظا على أولادنا pic.twitter.com/ZalKokHp1e
Others ridiculed the irrational campaign and shamed the homophobia which has swept social media platforms in recent days, in a country considered relatively liberal in the region with a thriving LGBTQ scene.
homosexuality entering my body after eating the master chips snackers pic.twitter.com/ICLhfRSpon
— may (@killingmay_) June 28, 2022
في أحلى. هاي وصلتني البارحة:
— Elsy F. N. (@elsy_n) June 26, 2022
شعار المثلية الجنسية على أكياس البطاطا الشيبس.
شركة ماستر مطالبة أمام الرأي العام اللبناني بتوضيح هالمسخرة والمهزلة.. والنائب ميشال الضاهر مطالب أمام كل أسرة لبنانية بدها تحافظ على قيم وأخلاق أولادها. 😱 pic.twitter.com/4Pm2u43z6J
Last week, Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi added his voice to recent calls from religious authorities to condemn all public activities relating to the LGBTQ community.
A protest planned for Sunday against Mawlawi’s decision was postponed after violent threats.
The issue has stirred a conversation in the multi-religious Mediterranean nation, with some lawmakers openly rejecting the "unnatural acts" of homosexuality and others expressing their full support for individual freedoms and rights.
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