Calls for boycotting American goods in Germany increased, driven by US President Donald Trump’s decisions, his foreign administration policy and his commercial war against partners, including European Union countries.
The invitations in Germany included the purchase of the German company Adidas instead of the American Nike, the use of Zalandu online shopping instead of Amazon, and the demand for Volkswagen cars instead of Tesla.
In a symbolic scene, activists of American products turned on the shelves inside German stores, indicating their rejection.
European campaigns
The move comes after Canadian consumers began excluding American products from daily shopping lists, in response to the customs duties imposed by Trump on Canadian goods, which were considered punitive decisions.
Wide -scale boycott movements against American goods in Canada and Denmark – mainly due to Trump’s desire to make Canada the US state No. 51 alongside his repeated demands to buy Greenland of Denmark. The boycott campaigns also arrived in France, Sweden and other countries.
In Europe, young people began to organize campaigns through forums such as “Reddit”, social networks and other sites to promote European goods and industries and boycott American products.
189,000 members launched the “Buyfromeu” forum, along with the role of “Goeuropean.org” in the promotion of European products, which constitute an alternative to American products.
These initiatives aim to support the local economy without negative impact on the labor market, especially since many American companies have production lines in Europe, as is the case with Gillett, which specializes in shaving blades, which are made inside Germany.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VCY-MoHTGK
Government and commercial rejection
The German government announced its refusal to boycott American products, and its spokesman, Stefan Hipster, confirmed that “Germany is interested in good trade relations with the United States, and we are doing our best to achieve this,” adding that a country that relies heavily on export like Germany “does not need more commercial barriers, but rather to reduce it.”
In turn, the President of the Federation of Wholesale and Foreign Services, Dirk Yandora, opposed the idea of boycotting, noting that it would not be the right solution, “and stressed the need to engage in a dialogue with the United States on commercial issues, rather than resorting to” provinces and counter -tariffs. “
America is the most important partner
Figures indicate that the United States has become – for the first time in 2024 – the first trading partner of Germany since 2015, bypassing China.
- The volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached 252.8 billion euros (273 billion dollars).
- Of them 161 billion euros ($ 173.9 billion) German exports to the United States.
Province
German economist Simon Fischer believes in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – that Trump’s policy is the main reason behind the reluctance of some consumers to buy American products.
“Trump’s policies may destabilize the trade balance, not only with Europe but with Washington’s traditional allies, because production is not limited to one country, but extends through international networks, which may affect supply and employment chains in Europe itself.”
“I am not against American companies, but I do not want to support Trump’s decisions in my car or my shoes! We have high -quality products in Europe, so why don’t we give them priority?” Says Holga M – a German activist who participates in European products support campaigns – to Al Jazeera Net.
A poll – conducted by the Yogov Institute to measure opinion indicators – showed that more than half of people in Germany no longer wanted to buy American goods in the event of a dispute over customs duties.
48% of those who intend to boycott stated that they would do so for political reasons
While popular calls for boycott continue, the most important question remains: Can such individual initiatives actually affect the policies of the major countries?
