Feminist groups have called for a “girlcott” of American coffeehouse chain Starbucks, after a sign barring the entry of women was put up on one of its store's windows in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sign read, “Please no entry for ladies only. Send your driver to order. Thank you.”

French NGO Osez Le Féminisme urged people to boycott Starbucks in a Facebook post, which was shared over 23,000 times. It said, “Since women do not have access to the cafés in Saudi Arabia, I have decided to stop going there myself. The sexism spoiled the coffee.” Members of another feminist group, LesefFRONTEé-e-s, protested in front of a Starbucks outlet in Paris. They held signs that compared the incident to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews.

A spokesperson for Starbucks, Jaime Riley, said it was required by a Saudi law to put up the poster at the store entrance. She added that the outlet was now “accessible to single men on one side, as well as women and families on the other side”. Saudi Arabia is notorious for discrimination against women.