Bo Öberg, group leader for the Moderate Party in Skinnskatteberg and deputy chairman of the municipal executive board, wants the municipality to reduce its consumption of American goods and services – and encourages citizens to boycott US products themselves.
The purpose of the boycott of US products is said to be to “send a clear and strong message of support to Ukraine”.
“We as citizens also have an important role to play. Through our choices of goods and services, where our consumption habits and money are the most powerful tools, we can contribute to creating change”, writes the M-leader to the city council, and says that it is about marking against Donald Trump’s administration.
“By sending a clear signal to American actors like Donald Trump, JD Vance and Elon Musk, we can make it clear that we do not support their policies that reduce support for Ukraine. Their policies will cost – and by changing our habits, we can influence their business models”, Öberg concludes.
The municipality of Skinnskatteberg in Västmanland has just over 4,200 inhabitants and it is highly doubtful that it would have any noticeable impact. However, Öberg hopes that the boycott will go through – and that many more people will choose to jump on the bandwagon.
“If Europe’s 600 million inhabitants reduce their purchases of American goods by just SEK 100 (€9) a week, the effect will be enormous. What was once ‘flight shame’ can now become ‘US shame’, where our choices do not favor companies that do not support freedom and democracy in Ukraine”, he adds.
“Clear strategy”
“This proposal puts forward a clear strategy to influence both political actors and economic forces through conscious consumerism, providing support to Ukraine in a concrete way”, he also states.
Many left-liberal politicians in Sweden and Europe have reacted very strongly to the Trump administration’s announcement that it wants to end the war quickly and bring lasting peace to Ukraine, accusing the US of betraying its former allies and “playing into Putin’s hands”.
In Sweden, all parliamentary parties have declared that they want to increase support for Kiev – but Öberg argues that Swedes must also get involved in Ukraine on an individual level.
Analysts often point out that boycotts must be extremely well-organized and large-scale to have any significant impact – and even then, it is rare for them to lead to political change.
Israel is frequently cited as an example of a country that has faced repeated boycott campaigns over the years – without any major impact on either its economy or its policies
