George Clooney is boycotting hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. This boycott of conscience from the Hollywood star came just days after the Sultan of the small but geopolitically strategic oil-rich nation (ranked 41 out of 99 oil producing nations) announced new laws making homosexual acts and adultery punishable by death.
Originally a British colony, Brunei became the first Southeast Asian nation to officially become an Islamic state by adopting Sharia law as the foundation of its legal system in 2014 to widespread condemnation. With a population of less than half a million, other draconian laws include amputation of the limbs as punishment for theft and robbery.
Starting April 3rd, anyone in Brunei found guilty of engaging in homosexual acts or cheating on their spouse could be flogged or sentenced to death by stoning.
And Clooney called on citizens of the world who oppose these infringements of human rights and civil liberties to boycott hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Agency. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah owns the Brunei Investment Agency which holds some of the world’s most prestigious hotels under its management.
George Clooney joins other Hollywood celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Stephen Fry, and prominent entrepreneur Virgin’s Richard Branson, who have all been boycotting the Sultan Bolkiah’s properties over Brunei’s anti-gay laws since 2014.
The first #StopTheSultan boycott and protest in 2014 led by California politicians, and LGBTQ activists reportedly cost the Sultan of Brunei $2 million in revenue, with cancellations at The Beverly Hills Hotel accounting for “almost all of the dropoff.” according to NYT. Unfortunately, by 2018, the #StopTheSultan movement had all but petered out, with celebrities and socialites returning to the premier Beverly Hills venue.
List of the Sultan of Brunei’s Hotels
- The Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills)
- Hotel Bel-Air (Los Angeles)
- The Dorchester (London)’
- 45 Park Lane (London)
- Coworth Park (Ascot, UK)
- Le Meurice (Paris)
- Hôtel Plaza Athénée (Paris)
- Hotel Eden (Rome)
- Hotel Principe di Savoia (Milan)
- Grand Hyatt (Singapore)
- Royal Plaza on Scotts (Singapore)
