Boycott Black Friday!

Zelena akcija activists held a performance today at Cvjetni trg in Zagreb. On large display boards, they presented the 10 consumer commandments that they believe Black Friday promotes. With this, they satirically highlighted the absurdity of today's capitalist social system, which is focused exclusively on growth, production, and sales, regardless of the cost it has for the environment and people.

The commandments they presented are as follows:

1.I am Capitalism, your master.
2. Do not think critically about me.
3. Remember to celebrate Black Friday.
4. Honor shopping so that it may go well for you on Earth.
5. Exhaust the planet to the end.
6. Consume, just consume.
7. Take from the poor to feed the corporation.
8. Believe all advertisements.
9. Put a price on nature and people.
10. Turn a blind eye to everything.

"Black Friday is a consumerist 'holiday' during which the goal is to offer people the newest versions of the same products they already have and to sell as much as possible. It is a day when stores clear their shelves to make room for a new wave of consumerism—the Christmas shopping season," stated Sunčica Lazanski, the coordinator of the Activist group of Zelena akcija.

Many of these products are not necessary for survival and are mostly made of plastic, which destroys the planet and is an extension of the fossil fuel industry. In addition to the planet, human rights are also threatened, primarily affecting the populations of rural areas and marginalized, poorer countries, where child labor is frequently used, with children working up to 12 hours for a wage insufficient for basic living needs.

"We are aware that Black Friday is primarily a time when citizens with lower incomes buy products, and we have no intention of discriminating against anyone based on class. We call on anyone who is able to boycott this 'holiday' in order to send a message that we do not want a society focused only on profit, but a society where human rights and environmental protection are respected," explained Lazanski.

Zelena akcija invites citizens, instead of participating in Black Friday, to get involved in their and other free, environmentally sustainable services, workshops, and similar initiatives that promote the reuse of items.

"We invite everyone to come to our weekly and monthly Bike Repair Shop (Biciklopopravljana) where they can learn to repair a bicycle, the 'Let's Repair Together' (Popravimo zajedno) workshop where we bring small household appliances back to life, or to a swap party, which is a clothing and accessories exchange," concluded Lazanski.