Australian supermarket giant Woolworths has become a target of vandalism following its contentious decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise this year.
At around 5 am—before the store’s opening time—on Jan. 15, vandals targeted a Woolworths Metro store in Brisbane specialising in takeaway food, pre-packaged meals, and beverages.
Vandals painted explicit graffiti messages, such as “5 days 26 Jan Aussie Oi Oi Woolies f*** u” and “Boycott Woolies” on the shop’s exterior.
The vandals also set off a flare under the store’s door, triggering the fire alarm and causing residents in nearby apartments to be evacuated.
Police and fire service were also called to the scene to investigate the incident.
A Woolworths spokesperson told The Epoch Times that no employees or customers were injured and that the store was reopened for business after the matter was resolved.
“We’re grateful to the police and fire brigade who attended,” the spokesperson said.
“There’s no reason for vandalism and we'll continue to liaise with Queensland Police.”
Australia Day, observed annually on Jan. 26, marks the country’s national public holiday and commemorates the arrival of Captain Arthur Phillip’s First Fleet in 1788.
While the majority of Australians support Australia Day, there has been a rising movement among some advocacy groups and members of the public labelling it “Invasion Day,” leading to calls for a boycott.
The supermarket chain cited declining sales over recent years as the main reason for its decision.
Opposition Urges Australians to Boycott Woolworths
In response to Woolworth’s announcement, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for shoppers to boycott the supermarket chain.“I think it’s up to customers whether they want to go in and buy the product or not. If they don’t want to celebrate Australia Day, that’s a decision for them, but I think people should boycott Woolworths,” he told 2GB radio.
“I think Brad Banducci [the CEO of Woolworths] should come out and announce that he’s reversing the decision.”
Mr. Dutton’s calls were echoed by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who claimed Australia Day was “under attack” by out-of-touch big businesses.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised Mr. Dutton for initiating the boycott, saying it could have an impact on supermarket employees.
“He needs to explain whether that boycott is forever, or whether it’s just until Australia Day and what the impact on those people who work for these companies will be.”
Majority of Australians Still Support Australia Day
A new poll published by the Institute of Public Affairs revealed that 63 percent of respondents agreed that Australia Day should be celebrated on Jan. 26.In addition, 87 percent of respondents said they were proud to be an Australian, and 69 percent agreed that Australia had a history worth being proud of.
“Australia is the greatest nation on earth. Our way of life and freedoms are the envy of the world, and they must be cherished and celebrated,” said Institute of Public Affairs deputy director Daniel Wild.
“Importantly, over the past five years, fewer than one in five Australians have indicated they do not support Australia Day on Jan. 26.”
The deputy director also claimed that a “noisy” small portion of the population wanted to cancel the public holiday and imposed their will on the majority of Australians.
“Despite this, there is a continued, relentless campaign by inner-city elites, the political class, big business, and civil society to cancel our national day.”
“Just like the Voice to Parliament debate, it is clear that the noisy minority is again intent on trying to cancel and denigrate mainstream Australians and stop us from celebrating our wonderful, egalitarian country.”
