The report was made at the Dang Wangi police station. Gerbang Alaf also filed a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
In a statement, Azmir Jaafar, the managing director and local shareholder of Gerbang Alaf, said the accusations against the company were lies.
He recalled that McDonald’s Malaysia had, on Dec 8, posted a statement on its official website to respond to the boycott calls made in retaliation against United States President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
He said Gerbang Alaf Restaurants is a Malaysian company managed by Muslims as majority shareholders, and it does not contribute or support or is involved in any political or religious conflict in any country.
“We consider these unfounded accusations as false and slanderous. As such, we have no choice but to lodge a police report against these irresponsible individuals and groups.
“We leave the matter to the police and MCMC to proceed with further action against these irresponsible groups.”
He added that the company has also formed a team of lawyers to ensure its rights and interests are safeguarded.
Azmir said the priority in filing the police report was to ensure the safety of the company’s employees and their families, the protection of its property and restaurants from threat of damage, and the business itself, as well as the livelihood of all 12,000 employees of McDonald’s Malaysia.
He thanked Malaysians who knew the truth and had defended the company against those who called for the boycott.
Azmir clarified that the contributions made by McDonald’s in the United States to the Jewish United Fund (JUF) were done through a programme called “Matching Gift” that allowed companies to match the charitable donations of their employees.
He said it was the norm in the US for many companies to offer the programme to encourage their employees to donate to charities.
The programme was not exclusive to McDonald’s as many companies in Fortune 500 had adopted it, he added.
“In 2014, more than 2,000 contributions were made to welfare bodies under the Matching Gift of McDonald’s in the US by its employees.
“The amount donated to JUF was tiny (only three donations by employees to JUF were matched). There were also Muslim welfare bodies which received matching contributions.
“This statement explains the context of the Matching Gift programme and clearly refutes accusations that McDonald’s in the US took a stand in any political or religious conflict.”
Malaysia is not the only country in which McDonald’s has faced calls for a boycott over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In Saudi Arabia, a movement known as #BoycottAmericanRestaurants, has spread throughout the country, as the United States is Israel’s primary ally.