Lush Has Closed All Its Stores In The UK For A Day To Protest Israel’s Genocide In Gaza
The shutdown cost the company an estimated £300,000 in lost sales and tax revenue.
British cosmetics retailer Lush closed more than 100 stores across the UK on Wednesday, Sept. 3 and in Ireland on Thursday, Sept. 4, to protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to pressure the government to end its complicity.
Lush’s shop windows displayed signs reading “Stop starving Gaza” and “We are closed in solidarity,” while the same message replaced the homepage of its website, according to The Guardian.
“Across the Lush business we share the anguish that millions of people feel seeing the images of starving people in Gaza, Palestine. Like the rest of the world, we struggle to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza,” the company said in a statement.
It added that one of the ways it could send its love and a strong message of solidarity was to shut its shops, websites and factories.
The shutdown cost the company an estimated £300,000 in lost sales and tax revenue.
“Whilst Lush is losing a day of takings, this also means that the UK Government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and our customers. We hope they too hear the message our closure sends, with more Government action needed to bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction, including an end to arms sales from the UK,” the company said.
It added that it is also reintroducing its fundraising soap, the “Watermelon Slice” — its best selling fundraising product — with the funds going to medical services, including charities that are gearing up to provide prosthetic limb services to adults and children injured in Gaza.
Lush has a long history of activism, from its 2018 “#Spycops” campaign against undercover police abuses to directly funding climate groups like RoadBlock and Clear the Skies.
In 2021, it began boycotting Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat to protest the platforms’ negative effects on teenagers’ mental health, addictive algorithms, data-collection policies, harmful content moderation, as well as its roles in spreading misinformation and violence in developing countries.
In 2023, it also left Twitter after Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer had said in July that the UK will recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has now killed more than 64,231 people, more than 83% of whom are civilians, and Gaza City is officially in a man-made famine created by Israel.
Israel has also declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” and is pounding it with bombs in preparation for its plan to eventually fully take over the strip.
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