This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
Published on September 30, 2019, Hong Kong was in the midst of its worst political unrest in decades, with intense clashes between hardcore protesters and riot police.
As the city convulsed, multiple branches were vandalized with graffiti, including a cafe in the Wanchai district daubed with slogans saying 'boycott' and insults to the police and Maxim's Caterers, a major Hong Kong restaurant chain that runs Starbucks outlets.
The vandalism highlights the pressures on international brands as Beijing piles pressure on businesses to publicly condemn the protests.
Those that do risk a protester backlash, but staying silent risks financial punishment on the mainland, a far more lucrative market.
At the center of the controversy is Annie Wu, the daughter of Maxim's wealthy founder, who delivered a speech at the UN's human rights council in Geneva, condemning the protests and supporting Beijing's hardline stance against democracy advocates.
Her comments were seized on by protesters, who portrayed her as an example of how Hong Kong's wealthy elite are out of touch with public sentiment and in the pockets of Beijing.
Democracy campaigner Joshua Wong called for a boycott of Starbucks, and over 50,000 people signed a petition asking the company to sever ties with Maxim's.
"We herein urge the Board of Directors to consider whether Maxim's truly represents the social values of Starbucks and terminate the franchise to Maxim's immediately," Wong wrote on Twitter.
