Saudis and expatriates are pressing on with their boycott of European goods, notably those coming from Denmark, followed by goods manufactured in Holland, Norway and Sweden. Their boycott is in reaction to the recent abuse of Islam and Islamic figures by a number of newspapers, media and officials in those countries. A large number of Saudis have also organized and launched boycott campaigns. A number of websites posted lists featuring the articles and goods coming into to the Kingdom from those countries. According to the Jeddah-based Arabic daily Al-Madina, traders and distributors are talking of losses amounting to millions of riyals. Al-Madina added that several Danish companies, including a major manufacturer of dairy products, admitted that they incurred considerable losses because of the boycott, particularly in the Saudi market, which registered the highest abstinence to buy Danish. Danish companies are concerned that the boycott may go on for much longer, and possibly even causing production at manufacturing facilities which depend on export to the Middle East to come to a complete halt. Saudis boycott Eggs A number of Saudi citizens are also organizing a campaign to boycott food items whose prices have gone up. They even created a website for this purpose. The website's administrators told Al-Madina that they want to fight the greed of traders. A list of all items the prices of which have gone up has been posted, with the intention of boycotting each item for two to four weeks – that is, until merchants feel the crunch and bring their prices back down. Eggs, which have grown about 60 percent dearer lately, are one such item. Al-Madina says the price of eggs went up for no other reason but merchants' desires to manipulate the market and play with consumers' eating habits. A large number of individuals joined the campaign and spread the word, either on the Internet, or by e-mail or SMS messages. The boycott organizers said the repeated crises and mounting pressure on the helpless consumers were what triggered the campaign. They added that while it is true that, thanks to the government's subsidy, the prices of a number of items went down, some other items skyrocketed. Eggs, they say, are an essential breakfast item for many, particularly students, due to its high nutritional value and its – formerly – low price. Merchants, however, say they, too, are helpless in keeping prices down while staying profitable. They cite bird flu and high chicken feed prices as reasons for them “having to” hike prices. Additionally, suppliers, distributors and shop owners blame each other, or blame globally higher prices, if not the dollar and euro exchange rates. Citizens and expatriates alike were urged to boycott eggs voluntarily before prices go up further. Organizers of the boycott campaign are finding inspiration in a similar campaign launched in Britain a number of years ago. Alarmed by the eventuality of being unable to sell accumulating quantities of eggs, traders and producers in that country slashed their prices by more than half. In Saudi Arabia, a number of egg production companies set the ceiling for retail price at SR 12 per carton. However, the shops did not comply with this price, and no legal action was taken against them.
