ANTWERP – A popular café in Belgium has stopped serving Coca Cola, Lay’s potato chips and every other American brand previously on its menu, in protest of US President Donald Trump and his controversial executive orders.
The owners of Zeezicht Cafe, in Antwerp, say that American products will remain off the menu at Zeezicht as long as Donald Trump is in power, or until he decides to abandon his radical approach. “With this we want to show that we do not agree with his right-wing politics,” said Babs Cossaert, one of the managers at Zeezicht Cossaert.
“All American drinks will disappear from the menu as long as Donald Trump’s policy does not change,” Cossaert told Belgian reporters. “A few days ago, we gathered all the staff and found that something had to be done against the policy of Donald Trump, so someone launched the idea of no longer selling American beverages or food. An economic boycott is probably the only measure Trump can understand.”
The cafe will no longer serve any American-owned brands, from snacks and drinks top cigarettes, and will find alternatives, even if they are more expensive. “Something had to be done” Cossaert told VRT Radio Antwerp.
“It is true that we used to sell a lot of Coca Cola and Chaudfontaine sparkling water (owned by the same company), but we will replace these drinks with Belgian alternatives,” said David Joris, another owner of Zeezicht. “The Flemish brewery Roman will provide us with a cola drink and we will buy water from the Val brand now, and the Lay’s American chips will be replaced by the Belgian brand Croky.”
Last Friday, Donald Trump signed an executive order barring citizens from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan from entering the country for 90 days and suspended the admission of all refugees for 120 days. The order indefinitely bans entry of those fleeing from war-torn Syria.
The controversial order, reflecting rise of anti-Muslim sentiments at top level in United States, was widely criticized by world leaders and international communities, also sparking mass protests in several US states and other parts of the world.
