Boycott of Jimmy John: Elephant hunt CEO photo leads to new wave of social media scandal



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Social media users are calling for a boycott of Jimmy John after the controversial photos of the CEO of the fast-food sandwich chain were put back online on Friday.

Jimmy John Liautaud, who founded the company and is currently the president, has already been criticized by animal rights groups for his love of big game hunting. Photos of Liautaud posing with dead "trophy" animals appeared on the Internet in 2011, according to Snopes.

But Friday, responses to a Tweet posted in April – which included a photo of the CEO giving a thumbs up while sitting on top of a dead elephant – started following trends on Twitter.

Quickly, the hashtag #BoycottJimmyJohns began to be a trend, with over 77,000 people tweeting about it on Friday afternoon.

Louloutaud has been hunting animals such as rhinos, elephants, lynx and zebras since at least 2002, according to Snopes. There is no evidence, however, that these hunts were illegal. Big game hunting has often been a source of controversy because of its inclusion of potentially endangered animals, including some species of elephants and rhinos.

It is unclear why Liautaud's photos have resurfaced while they took place, but the proposed boycott comes as many leaders have been criticized for supporting various political causes. For example, many customers called for a boycott of the Equinox and Soul Cycle fitness chains after learning that Stephen Ross, who had invested in both brands, was organizing a fundraiser for President Trump.

And this is not the first time that corporate boycotts have occurred in the world of fast food. Many restaurants have been the target of similar efforts – whether it's Chik-fil-A's support for anti-LGBTQ groups or the number of channels that have donated. money to President Trump's re-election campaign.

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The question of whether this type of corporate boycott is effective has been the subject of much debate. Those who seek to hurt Jimmy John face a tough battle: the restaurant chain now has more than 2,800 properties and generates more than $ 2 billion in revenue. Nevertheless, one can not deny the scandal that many feel about Liautaud's hobby.

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