Café owners in Binalong, New South Wales, Australia, have introduced “tariffs” on American-made products in solidarity with Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ABC reports.
Jan Giles and Adrian Sykes, owners of the café in Binalong—a village of 500 people in southern New South Wales—were “appalled” by the way Zelenskyy was treated.
As a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine and its president, the couple decided to introduce their own so-called “tariffs” on American products sold at their café. The proceeds are being donated to the Australian Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
The “tariff” was introduced even before the US imposed a 25% duty on Australian steel and aluminum.
“We call it a tariff because I think it’s the word of the week. With Coca-Cola products, we’ve put a $1 tariff on it … Jim Beam and Cola, we’ve put $2 on it. We’ve taken Jim Beam and Jack Daniels off the shelves, we no longer stock them because they’re brewed, bottled and shipped from the US,” Sykes said.
An American flag also hangs in the café, but upside down—a symbol of a nation in distress.
The couple pledged to continue their “customs policy” until Trump’s approach to Ukraine changes.
“We should be (able to raise) around $800, maybe $1,000 a quarter, and over a period of a year that would equate to maybe $3,000-4,000 a year,” Mr Sykes said.
So far, they have already collected $2,000.
“I couldn’t believe they did something like that; it was so heartening to see,” said AFUO Chair Kateryna Argyrou.
She noted that the Ukraine Crisis Appeal has raised $13 million over the past three years, with nearly all donations coming from ordinary Australians.
“They’re mostly $10 or $20 donations but as you can see it all adds up and goes a long way to helping Ukrainians in need,” she added.
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