Four Starbucks stores in Northern Virginia were vandalized with anti-America, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas graffiti.
The vandalism at the Ashbrook, Broadlands, Pipeline and One Loudoun shopping centers was discovered Tuesday morning.
At a Starbucks on Pipeline Plaza in Ashburn, employees found the phrases “free Palestine” and “I heart genocide” spraypainted on the building.
The messages and symbols varied at each location but all had similar sentiments.
“If you want to have a discussion, find a place a place where the discussion is welcome instead of somewhere where people, I guess, are trying to get coffee in the morning,” Loudoun County resident Alex Daniels said.
Ashburn resident Mariam Abdulle was curious about why Starbucks was closed during the Tuesday morning rush.
“I know that’s been a lot of people that have been boycotting Starbucks including me,” she said. “I haven’t really gone back to Starbucks because I am supporting Palestine in that sense, but I would never, you know, there’s people who work there, who have, that’s where they get their paycheck. Like, I wouldn’t go as far as trying to affect them in that sense.”
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"Hate speech and destruction of property will not be tolerated in Loudoun County,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We are actively investigating these incidents, as we do all similar acts, and are determined to identify and charge whoever is responsible.”
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office released surveillance images of two suspects Friday.
Employees at one of the stores said there was a similar incident there last month.
A Starbucks spokesperson shared the following statement with News4:
We are aware of vandalism occurring overnight on May 20 at several of our stores in Ashburn. The experience and well-being of our partners and customers is core to who we are, and we continue to work with local authorities to support their ongoing investigation.
False statements that have been made about who we are and what we stand for are being shared through social media, which has led to some acts of vandalism. Starbucks has never contributed to any government or military operation in any way.
Customers should visit the Starbucks app for up-to-date hours of operation.
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