The news of Mexican boycotts against American companies is not surprising — not given this week’s events, but it is saddening to see the destruction of a formerly strong relationship between the United States and Mexico happen only days following the inauguration.
Ioan Grillo a correspondent with Time.com in Mexico City reports on the story via the digital newsfeed News And Guts. The piece starts off with a twitter image by @Sin Embargo MX.
The digital image (below) shows a clenched fist bathed in the red, white and green of Mexico’s flag and decorated with the nation’s emblematic eagle. “Consumers, to the Shout of War,” it says in Spanish above the fist. “Consume products made in country…Use your buying power to punish the companies that favor the politics of the new U.S. government.”
Here is the tweeted image.
Gillo states “the image is part of a slew of messages, memes and videos that have been spreading in Mexico in recent days as President Donald Trump pushes for a border wall, deportations and punishing new trade rules.” He says there are also specific specific boycotts of U.S. companies in Mexico, which include McDonalds, Walmart and Coca-Cola. And one of the most heavily trending hashtags is #AdiosStarbucks/“Goodbye Starbucks,” which has sprinkled Mexico with hundreds of coffee houses.
The Time.com writer adds “the boycotts illustrate the defiant mood brewing in Mexico in reaction to Trump’s tumultuous first week in the White House. President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a bilateral meeting in Washington on Thursday after Trump insisted Mexico should pay for the border wall.” Grillo says the Mexican government and leading business lobbies have said the country should pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, rather than accept a “bad rewrite.” (One can only imagine how self-serving Trump’s new agreement would be.)
Although the playing field in “not level with Mexico” having an economy that is only the tenth of the size of America, and U.S. import taxes and the deportation of millions of migrants could push Mexico into recession, Grillo says, “Mexico looks like it won’t go down without a fight.” There have also been several demonstrations against Trump outside the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, where protesters have burned piñatas of the president.
“We need to stand up to Trump’s threats and his economic war,” says Enzzo Omar Sosa, part of a collective called Mexicanos Al Grito de Guerra, or “Mexicans to the Shout of War.” The group has social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers, in which it has been heralding the cries to boycott U.S. companies. “We need to support Mexican companies, which provide jobs and maintain our macro economy," he said. Hitting U.S. companies could also make them pressure President Trump over his aggressive positions against Mexico, he said.
The destruction and hate-building of one man, in one week, is mind-blowing. I feel the greatest respect and admiration for the people of Mexico — and for any person, or country that stands up to Donald Trump. As the Resistance grows, it’s crucial we support each other. Aclamaciones and poder to Mexico.
Read more on the story here.