War stance reflected in shopping habits (From Stroud News and Journal)

War stance reflected in shopping habits

THE BATTLE for Iraq is starting to spread to Stroud cash registers.

Shoppers are choosing items very carefully according to how they feel about the war, campaigners have said.

Many are boycotting American products and copies of Michael Moore's anti-Bush book are flooding out of Stroud Town Bookshop.

Others are said to be deliberately seeking out US goods to demonstrate their support for coalition soldiers.

Peace campaigner Irene Hopwood has been avoiding US food imports for some time.

She said: "Quite a lot of people are doing it. "I think America is being very much damned by public opinion.

"I don't think any country has every been so hated. "They have invaded our economy and our culture.

"People in Stroud are very aware of food. We have the farmer's market and we don't need American goods."

Irene previously protested against the Vietnam war.

The war against Iraq was very different, she said, because there was so much media coverage that glorified the combat.

"I find it absolutely horrific," she said. "I am more and more convinced that we are the barbarians.

"I find it repugnant to see Americans all gung-ho in their tanks."

Tesco and McDonald's in Stroud both claimed they had noticed any unusual shopping trends, although the national media has reported an international backlash against companies which are perceived as American.

Jacqui Moore, McDonalds regional corporate manager, said sales had gone up nationwide over the last few weeks.

"We consider ourselves a UK company," she said.

Tesco spokesman Karen Marshall agreed that she did not believe anti-American shopping was going on.

"It is rubbish," she said. "It is not true at all."

She said the firm would not disclose specific sales figures.

Anna Smith, assistant manager at Stroud Bookshop, said Michael Moore's book Stupid White Men had proved very popular over the last few weeks. "There has been an increase in sales of what you might call polemical books," she said.

Stroud mayor John Majoram has been encouraging people to avoid American goods but said firms might not have noticed the backlash because the numbers of people avoiding their products were balanced by those buying them in support of the troops.

"I know people up and down the country who are not buying American goods," he said.

"We are also asking people not to go to America if they can help it.

"So many people are against how Britain and America are behaving. "I think in the long term our actions will have an effect."