MERA25 strongly condemns recent developments at Zalando, Europe’s largest online fashion retailer, where there have been reports of politically motivated firings, the suppression of political speech, and a culture of intimidation against employees who express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

As a result, MERA25 is calling for protest on September 10 at 15:00 CEST outside Zalando’s Berlin headquarters – Hedwig-Wachenheim-Straße 7, 10243 Berlin.

Founded in 2008 and employing over 16,000 people across Europe, Zalando has long promoted itself as a champion of “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. Yet, according to whistleblowers, the company’s recent actions reveal a stark contradiction between its branding and reality: immigrant and minority workers are being silenced when their voices are needed most.

A particular point of concern is Zalando’s hosting of RIAS (Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus), a publicly funded body that documents anti-Semitic incidents in Germany. While monitoring anti-Semitic is crucial, MERA25 warns that RIAS’s methodology blurs the line between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israeli policy.

In 2024 alone, RIAS recorded over 8,600 incidents – most of them labelled “Israel-related”. This framing is now being weaponised by Zalando to shut down dissent, scapegoat migrants, and stigmatise solidarity with Palestine.

Such dynamics have already created a hostile atmosphere that has led to violence against demonstrators, including MERA25 members.

The ongoing genocide in Palestine is the great moral clarifier of our times: the litmus test by which individuals, companies, and states are judged. Zalando’s alignment with the Zionist agenda, even at this stage, will remain a source of shame for the company and its leadership for generations.

As the testimonies gathered by the whistleblower initiative @ExposingZalando show, these issues cannot be ignored. For MERA25, true diversity and inclusion are not optional corporate branding exercises, but urgent imperatives tied to justice and human rights.

MERA25 is demanding that Zalando:

• Reinstate employees unfairly dismissed and guarantee protection from retaliation.
• Cancel ties with RIAS and other organisations that incite repression and division.
• Acknowledge and address anti-Palestinian practices within the company.
• Hold perpetrators accountable and commit to real diversity, equity, and inclusion.

MERA25 is urging all those committed to justice and solidarity to join tomorrow’s protest in Berlin.

Do you want to be informed of DiEM25's actions? Sign up here