Boycott of French products suggested

Some Saudis and expatriates have called for a campaign to boycott French products because of the offending cartoons published by the Charlie Hebdo magazine last week.

“It is necessary to boycott French food products and perfumes and hit the French economy because they are ignoring the feelings of Muslims by publishing blasphemous cartoons. It is the best solution to defend Islam and our Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him),” said a message posted by one user on various social networking sites.

The messages on several websites include the names of popular French products available on local shelves that citizens and expatriate consumers should boycott. Adel Hassan, a Saudi, said he plans to participate in the boycott. “Yes, I will stop buying French products because of the ongoing blasphemous cartoons against Islam.”

He said the French have “forgotten” that they have many companies exporting products to Saudi Arabia. He said customers must ensure these products are “dumped into the garbage” by not buying them. Meanwhile, Jordanian social media users have launched a campaign calling for the boycott of French products, entitled “Boycott France.”

Activists are urging action against French investments in the country including Total-affiliated gas stations and Carrefour markets, according to a report published Sunday. Organizers of the initiative, which has reportedly attracted more than 4,000 people on Facebook, said the campaign seeks to place pressure on France to put an end to the publication of “offensive cartoons.”

Emad Kareem, a public relations practitioner at a local agency, told Arab News that some French companies have hired public relations companies to deal with the backlash from Muslim consumers.

He said several French companies have launched campaigns to improve their image so that they can reduce the impact on their sales from a boycott. “There are some French companies, especially in Arab Gulf countries that import French food products, that are saying they condemn abuse of religions and Charlie Hebdo’s blasphemous cartoons,” said Kareem.

“If there is a widespread a boycott of French products, companies will have to deal with public relations agencies to manage this crisis.” He said there is no evidence yet that there has been any effect on sales of French products in Saudi Arabia