In opposing war and atrocities, every action is important. Our author, Matthew Zmyślony, started a protest in front of a branch of one of the stores that decided not to withdraw from Russia and conduct "business as usual."
The bestial war declared by the Russians against Ukraine has been going on since February 24 of this year. Ukrainians are bravely defending their country, risking their lives. Not only military units, but also civilians have become the targets of attacks in defiance of Russian disinformation and propaganda. Every day innocent people are dying in Ukraine.
Russia has faced ostracism unprecedented in world history. The exclusion of some financial entities from the SWIFT system and economic sanctions are taking their toll on the Russian economy. Business has also joined the boycott - with each day since the war began, more companies are withdrawing from Russia. Companies from the French holding company Association Familiale Mulliez - which includes among others: Auchan, Decathlon or Leroy Merlin. They continue to operate in Russia and have no intention of stopping.
Public opinion reacted to the shameful decision of the French companies. At first it started on the Internet, but then moved on to action. Mateusz Zmyślony, creative director of Open Eyes Economy and also an author who describes his collisions with the reality of Polish cities for our magazine, decided to publicly protest the decision. For the past two days he has been coming to the door of the Decathlon store on Zakopianka and informing potential customers that the company continues to do business in Russia. He was joined in his actions by Mark from Ukraine, who decided to return to his country and fight the occupation.
Mark joined Matthew in the protest. He has now returned to Ukraine and intends to fight the Russian aggressor.
We talk to Matthew Zmyślony about civil disobedience, what we can do and why a consumer boycott is important.
Wiktor Bochenek: Do you see the effects of this protest? Are people actually reacting and listening to the arguments against shopping at chain stores that have not withdrawn from Russia?
Matthew Zmyślony: On the first day it was difficult to make a judgment, but on the second day, that is yesterday, you could see shocking effects. Yesterday actually limited to maybe five percent the number of unaware consumers entering the store we were betting on. Most people who entered the store pointed out that they were coming in with returns or service actions. We learned from Decathlon employees that these drops are very noticeable.
Wiktor Bochenek: Can such actions have a greater impact?
Matthew Zmyślony: I would even say emphatically that it's hard to expect bigger ones - only those who had to enter the store entered. Plus a small number of those who will always come for the lowest price.
Mateusz Zmyślony during his grassroots outreach campaign
© Architecture & Business
Wiktor Bochenek: Have you contacted other people who are coming out in front of stores across Poland? Have you thought about organizing broader protests, or is this more of a one-man action?
Mateusz Zmyślony: I'm staying with the one-man action on a personal level. I don't think it's necessary to organize anything other than a grassroots initiative. I published a report on my social media about what I'm doing and directly communicated that it would be great if people did it in their cities. I have several confirmed actions. A friend of mine organized a similar protest in Gliwice under one of the chain stores that did not back down. Yesterday, we were approached by people outside Decathlon on Zakopianka, who had seen the same protests outside other stores in Krakow.
This happened naturally. Yesterday towards evening there was nothing left to do - people already knew what we wanted to tell them. It started on the Internet, until it moved from the grassroots to direct action in front of stores across the country. Hopefully, we'll get a message from these French companies that they'll eventually pull out of this Russia thing.
Wiktor Bochenek: You have encountered attacks, physical or verbal.
Mateusz Zmyślony: There have been isolated incidents. They are exceptions that confirm the rule. We were approached by a kind of typical Krakow clown who started shouting that Russia is great. He even got into a fight. On the first day, however, I stated that I would prepare pepper spray for any mishaps as a possible defense. Nothing ultimately happened, the moment he saw that I was prepared. I was joined by Mark from Ukraine, who had supported me at Decathlon for two days and was now going to the front to defend his country. He filmed everything that was happening. We called the Police and the Municipal Police, who patrolled the area, and from then on it was safe.
There was more verbal aggression. Many people began to argue about whether, as someone helping Ukraine in other places, they should be criticized for entering Decathlon. We know that many people enter the store to buy things for Ukrainians - it's obvious that they are not breaking the boycott pattern. At the same time, there are specialized products in Decathlon that are not available in other stores - in such cases it is difficult to criticize someone.
Wiktor Bochenek: How do you think people who don't have time or enough mental toughness can help?
Mateusz Zmyślony: In the beginning, it was annoying that online zealotry did not translate into an actual boycott. Such a situation requires several days. When we started the protest on the first day, many people still had no idea what was going on there, but by yesterday the vast majority knew about it. Providing information is the first line of resistance.
The second line of resistance is the personal consumer boycott, which is also gaining ground. Many people are abandoning purchases from chains that still have not withdrawn from Russia. It's important to show this.
Going out and protesting outside a store is not an easy situation. I am a socially engaged person with a propensity for confrontation, but for me it was also exhausting and difficult. There is also, despite everything, some sense of danger. It's not for everyone.
There were pleasant moments when people came to thank us for this protest. They stood in solidarity with us in this way, which was very important. Very important, it's also so important to just come and talk to the "frontliners" - for us it's a needed therapeutic support.
Wiktor Bochenek: Thank you for the interview!
The list of verified contributions has been published on our website(See here).
