Protestors denounce mistreatment of warehouse workers, environmental damages and tax evasion in front of Amazon’s HQ in Luxembourg.

In this extraordinary year of 2020, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent economic crisis, Black Friday has a whole different meaning, considering that Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos enriched himself beyond imagination and dodged millions of tax-money desperately needed for the economic recovery, while his workers risk their lives as essential workers. As described in the campaign “Make Amazon Pay”, the pandemic has exposed how Amazon places profits ahead of workers, society, and our planet. Amazon takes too much and gives back too little.

Luxembourg is known for its low tax burden and Amazon Luxembourg is the 2nd largest center of profit for the Amazon group.

In that sense, the DSC Luxembourg was contacted by the Progressive International about their “Make Amazon Pay” campaign and we soon began to organise a demonstration in front of the Amazon offices in Luxembourg-city together with several transnational groups (Collectif Tax Justice Letzebuerg, Stop Amazon Metz, Fakir Lorraine, Extinction Rebellion Luxembourg, Rise for Climate Luxembourg…), unions (ver.di) and the luxembourgish left party (Déi Lénk).

Photo: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many activists from France or Germany wouldn’t be able to attend the demonstration and that’s how the idea came up to collect their pictures and display them at the demonstration.

Today, on the 27th of November 2020, over 30 people assisted in person to the first demonstration ever against Amazon in Luxembourg.

88 people were ‘present’ through their pictures. We would like to thank everyone for that. We were also honoured by the presence of a ridiculously large number of policemen, posted all around the block where Amazon has its offices. I think we can be proud to have created such a threatening effect on this big multinational. As Yanis Varoufakis said yesterday: “You see, Jeff Bezos, a very smart man, will take note. He will get it. Amazon’s days of impunity are over.”

DiEM25 member Brice Montagne made a speech during the event:

“Today we are in front of Amazon HQ Luxembourg. (…) We are here today because Jeff Bezos Amazon’s CEO has gained over 100 billion in personal wealth since the beginning of lockdowns due to COVID-19. (…) The model of Amazon is one in which workers are mistreated — we know that in warehouses in the north of France, there were no masks and social distancing. It’s a model in which the environment is mistreated, because products are moved across the world by plane. It’s a model in which taxes aren’t paid. Even though the little guy next door has to pay them and on top of that has to close. That’s why we are here with our comrades. Amazon has to pay. Amazon has to pay its workers, it has to pay for the environmental damage, and today it’s even more important to say today that there is a large cost to this crisis that billionaires that have gained immense wealth from this pandemic need to pay.”

This evening, several ‘Amazon experts’ will gather in an online conference to shed a light on Amazon´s multiple wrongdoings. Join us!

Among them, the European MP Leila Chaibi, the activist Alma Dufour from Les Amis de la Terre and the Luxembourgish MP David Wagner. The livestream can be followed in the Facebook event.

Authored by Sofia Fernandes, coordinator DSC Luxembourg.

Find out more about Make Amazon Pay and contribute to the strike fund here!

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