GENEVA, April 23: US and British goods face the prospect of significant boycott in France and Germany over the decision of the two English-speaking powers to invade Iraq, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
Some consumers in Britain, where public sentiment against the war has been notable, are also likely to stop buying products imported from the United States, the survey by the leading public relations agency Weber Shandwick said.
The survey, taken in the three countries between April 11 and 13 when US and British forces were close to wrapping up control of Iraq, said such a boycott could lead firms in the two countries to lose business worth billions of dollars.
In France, 17 percent of consumers said they were less likely to buy US goods because of the invasion. In Germany, the figure was 13 percent, and in Britain 13 percent when the survey was taken.
A smaller percentage of people in Britain (three percent), Germany (four percent) and in France (one percent) said they were more likely to buy US goods because of the war.
There was no indication from the survey on how far attitudes in France and Germany responded to calls by legislators in the US Congress and “America First” groups to boycott French and German products over those countries’ opposition to the war.
French exporters have already expressed alarm at a decline in US purchases of traditional exports from France like wine and cheese.
French restaurants in the United States have also reported a decline in business and many other US food outlets have renamed the traditional “French fries” — potato chips — “freedom fries” to cater to anti-French sentiment.
The survey, carried out by a research company, was conducted through telephone interviews with 1,000 people each in France, Germany and Britain, said Weber Shandwick, which is also a specialist in corporate communications counselling.
Weber Shandwick has its headquarters in New York and offices around the world. The survey was sent to Reuters in Geneva.
Although before the war a large majority of people in Britain opposed the military action sought by the Labour government of Prime Minister Tony Blair, opinion has swung round since to give him some 60 percent approval.
Weber Shandwick said that while views on the Iraq war were evolving quickly, the research “shows that a sizeable sliver of European consumers remain likely to use the power of their purse to make their point about US and (British) involvement in the war in Iraq.” —Reuters#
