Budweiser among American products boycotted in Europe

A group of Europeans, calling themselves Consumers Against War, have posted a list of American companies whose products they are boycotting on a Web site, http://www.consumers-against-war.de. Among those companies are American corporate giants, including Coca-Cola Co., Microsoft Corp., General Electric Co., Philip Morris International, McDonalds Corp., Pfizer, Levi Strauss, Pepsi Co., Texaco, Apple Computer and Procter and Gamble.

"Let's go on boycotting American products and thus the American economy, which is responsible for this war," the group said on its Web site.

Another Web site, http://www.adbusters.org, is calling for people worldwide to "boycott brand America."

Various news reports indicated that some restaurants in Germany have taken American products off of their menus. Several demonstrations have taken place at McDonald's restaurants in Paris, Indonesia and Switzerland.

Reuters quoted a German bartender who was refusing to sell American whiskey or Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer.

Spokespersons for McDonald's and Coca-Cola said sales were not being affected by the boycotts or demonstrations.

Jonathan Chandler, spokesman for Coca-Cola Europe, told Reuters the product sold in Germany is made there, so the boycott is really a boycott of a German product.


© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.