Zürcher Nachrichten - Scandinavians boycott US goods over Trump's Ukraine U-turn

Several groups have emerged in recent days on social networks in Denmark and Sweden aimed at helping fellow consumers make alternate choices. The Danish group "Boykot varer fra USA" and the Swedish group "Bojkotta varor fran USA" each had some 63,000 members on Thursday.

"It is of course very difficult to boycott US products consistently, quickly and long-term, but if you want to do something and don't know where to begin, this could provide a little help," Agneta Gottberg Henriksson, 58, wrote on the Swedish Facebook group, attaching a list of US products that has been circulating online.

The list features a column on the left listing well-known American brands, while a column on the right suggests Swedish or European alternative options.

Craving KFC? Go for "grilled chicken at your neighbourhood restaurant" instead.

But many of the other suggestions are problematic.

For instance, members are encouraged to opt for a French Peugeot instead of Tesla. However, Peugeot's owner Stellantis also owns several American brands including Jeep.

Shoppers pining for a new pair of Nike sneakers are told to swap them out for a pair of Salomons, owned by Finnish group Amer Sports. But that group is also listed in New York.

Boycotting omnipresent US products can be tricky.

For the past week, Gottberg Henriksson, a project manager from the southern Swedish region of Skane, has tried to avoid spending any money on American goods.

She admits it's not always easy, especially when it comes to tech goods and online services.

"It's a little ironic because this group (that launched the boycott) is mainly active on Facebook. We would really like to boycott it" but finding an alternative social network to the US-owned group is almost impossible, she told AFP.

Swedish public support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion has been massive, and military aid to Kyiv is one of the Scandinavian country's top foreign policy priorities.

"What is happening now in the United States -- turning its back on Ukraine and going back on all its promises -- that was the last straw," explained Gottberg Henriksson.

She's even willing to lose money on her conviction.

Reviewing her investments, she realised that about 60 percent were placed on the US market. She decided to sell them all on March 4, the day huge US tariffs kicked in and sent global stocks tumbling.

"You have to accept it. If you really mean it, you really mean it," she said.

- European stars -

In Denmark, the owner of several supermarket chains has decided to mark European products with a star, to help customers make their choice.

The initiative is in response to strong demand from consumers, the head of the Salling Group retailer, Anders Hagh, wrote on LinkedIn.

Swede Reidar Svedahl, 71, told AFP he had decided to boycott all US products after Trump's February 28 shouting match with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Svehdal said it hadn't been too hard to forego at least some American goods.

"I think 99 percent of Europeans can do without 70 percent of all American products. Then the impact would be huge," he told AFP.

Like in most of Europe, sales of Tesla electric cars -- owned by key Trump ally Elon Musk, who has backed European far-right parties -- continued to slide in Norway and Denmark in February.

Sales in Norway were halved compared to February 2024, and were down by 44.4 percent in the first two months of the year compared to the same period a year ago.

Experts said however that the impact of the boycott would probably be limited.

"Experience shows that it's very difficult to get any major economic effects from voluntary (consumer) boycotts," said Olof Johansson Stenman, economics professor at the University of Gothenburg.

The effects are generally short-term and have little impact, added Eva Ossiansson, a researcher at University of Gothenburg.

I.Widmer--NZN