We call on the international community to boycott French retailers that have refused to suspend operations in Russia and continue to operate there, despite sanctions and the continued genocide of Ukrainians by the RF. These include Leroy Merlin, Auchan, and Decathlon, which are owned by the Association Familiale Mulliez.
More than a month has passed since the beginning of the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine. More than 450 companies have already stopped cooperating with the terrorist country (https://bit.ly/3uwzMJP). However, some companies not only do not stop working in Russia, but also officially declare that they will not leave the Russian market.
We, like many other Ukrainian organizations, ordinary citizens and high-ranking officials, appealed to Auchan (https://bit.ly/3uzgoMb) and Leroy Merlin (https://bit.ly/3tIoPFS) to stop cooperating with the Russian aggressor. Needless to say, we did not receive any answers.
While Ukrainian offices of Leroy Merlin and Auchan (https://bit.ly/3IPWUbg) immediately began to help Ukrainian Armed Forces, volunteers and ordinary residents in difficult situation with the beginning of the war, there is information that the parent offices of these French companies hinder the volunteer activities of their colleagues in Ukraine. Thus, according to the latest reports of Leroy Merlin Ukraine employees (https://bit.ly/3LCZkfp), the French office blocked the possibility of corporate communication for Ukrainian colleagues, opportunities to communicate with customers who have paid for their orders and can not receive them, and hacked the Ukrainian office pages on social networks to prevent the spread of positions that do not coincide with the views of French owners.
And all this in addition to the official statements (https://bit.ly/3iJkVWN) of some representatives of these companies that they will continue to work in Russia, because they have to feed and take care of their Russian workers. To feel the special cynicism of the French owners regarding the situation in Ukraine and to continue their “business as usual” course, you can read the official letter to the staff of the Ukrainian office of Leroy Merlin from the CEO of the managing company (https://bit.ly/3tKzmAp).
Even the death of a Leroy Merlin employee from a Russian missile in Kyiv did not affect the opinion of the French owners of the company (https://bit.ly/3IKBkFg).
We, the experts of the independent think tank BRDO, believe that the time has passed for appeals and letters to companies that turn a blind eye to the murders of Ukrainians and continue to earn bloody Russian money under the guise of empty words of support. It is time to fight such collaborators of the occupying power in methods they can understand – to boycott their goods and services. In Poland, active citizens have already begun this process – in Lodz, activists went to the shops Leroy Merlin, Auchan, Decathlon with a call to boycott these networks (https://bit.ly/3tJR2Mi). The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has already called for a boycott of these companies (https://bit.ly/35fKBHs).
We urge all our readers abroad to join these campaigns, boycott the products of collaborating companies and disseminate this information.
Ukraine will prevail! #StandWithUkraine