Will German consumers join the growing boycott of US-made goods?
Among European countries, the US boycott gained widespread support first in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark.
The Local Sweden reported last week that a Facebook group promoting the boycott of US goods gained around 40,000 members within a few days. Members of the group shared tips on alternatives to popular US products and services – including digital services.
But similar groups have popped up in other countries including Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Finland, France, and Germany.
German media has begun to take note of the conversations online as well. ZDF Heute reported this week that a sub-Reddit called ' Buy From EU ' has well over 100,000 members with thousands more joining every day.
Why are Europeans calling for a boycott of US goods?
The origin of the boycott against the US is primarily traced back to Canada.
Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, called on consumers to buy more Canadian products and avoid US imports in response to tariffs levied by Trump on Canadian products. Some Canadian consumers had already been posting videos on social media about avoiding US-made products weeks earlier, following Trump's comments about making Canada into another US state.
In Europe, the main motivating factor behind the boycotts seems to be Trump's foreign policy and relations with Europe. His abrupt turn on Ukraine and threats to withdraw large numbers of troops and defence resources from Europe have seriously damaged US relations with its long-held European allies.
On top of that, his tariffs on European imports have triggered retaliation, with the EU announcing its own tariffs on American products such as bourbon whiskey, jeans, motorcycles, boats and peanut butter – due to start from April.
As the second leading exporter in the world (behind China), it's no small feat to avoid US products and services.
Some posts on the 'Buy from EU' thread make light of the issue, such as suggesting people simply eat Döner kebabs instead of McDonald's.
Döner's are tasty, local and not expensive
by u/BenderDeLorean in BuyFromEU
But there are also helpful tips and resources to be found. For instance, a group of volunteers affiliated with the group created this online tool, which allows you to search for products you need and find options made by Europe-based companies.
If you search for 'Nike' you'll find Germany-based Adidas and Puma as well as France-based Decathalon and Poland-based 4F, for example.
You can also select from a list of major US companies to find alternatives, and limit searches specifically to Germany-made products.
If you're select Netflix, and limit options to Germany-based companies, you'll find the streaming site Joyn.
What do Germans think?
In r/de, which is the primary German-language Reddit community about Germany, a user introduced the US boycott idea and asked, 'Can that work?'
The most popular comment says that it won't make the US government 'start acting sensibly again' but adds that it can 'make Europe more independent and less susceptible to blackmail.'
Another comment adds that the impact may be small - but there could still be a positive effect.
'It can make a small mark, but above all supports small local businesses,' the user wrote.
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