Boycott of US goods spreads across Europe

-March 27th


Opposition to US goods is strongest in Germany, where an estimated 86% of Germans oppose the war, and in Russia.

Campaigners say protests, which range from refusing to serve American and British customers to trashing restaurants, could spread worldwide.

One website, http://www.consumers-against-war.de, singles out 27 American firms for the boycott. Another, http://www.adbusters.org, urges the "millions of people against the war" to "boycott brand America".

The boycott comes as George W Bush's Air Force One flight to Florida yesterday said goodbye to French toast and began serving "freedom toast" instead. The cream cheese-filled "freedom toast" topped the president's menu, in what has been taken as a subtle slap at the French for failing to back the hard-line US stance on Saddam Hussein.

Earlier this month some Americans dubbed the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" while renaming French fries "freedom fries".

In Russia yesterday, opposition to the war showed no signs of abating. Some businessmen and shops are refusing to trade in US goods or serve American and British customers. Protest signs have been placed in shop windows, including one which read "Yankee Go Home".

Not everyone backs the boycotts. In Germany, car makers like BMW and Siemens fear the anti-US stance will harm sales when the war is over.

However, in Munich, Hamburg, Bonn, Berlin and other German cities, signs in restaurants and bars tell patrons: "Sorry, Coca-Cola is not available any more due to the current political situation."

Many flats in Berlin hang banners and posters declaring Bush to be a moron and Tony Blair his faithful lackey.

Riese und Mueller, a German bicycle maker, has cancelled business deals with its American suppliers.

"Americans only pay attention when money is on the line," said Heiko Mueller, whose firm buys supplies worth £240,000 a year from the US.

"We wanted to make a statement against this war and told our American partners that unless they renounce what their government is doing, we won't do any business with them any more."

In Paris last week, demonstrators smashed windows at a McDonald's outlet, forcing riot police to move in. In the Swiss city of Basle, 50 students recently staged a sitdown strike in front of a McDonald's.

Zurich-based travel agents report that customers are switching from the US as their usual holiday destination.

"Some of the most loyal customers who have been travelling to the United States for years have changed their plans because they don't like what Bush is doing," said Lucia Zeller, director of the Travac travel agency.

The impact of the boycotts on the US business community is nevertheless negligible. Corporate giants such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's and Coca-Cola have reported no significant dent in earnings.



©2003 smg sunday newspapers ltd.