Given the magnitude of the job of changing public opinion, Lush’s week-long campaign on immigration in its 90 UK stores, which began on Monday, might seem inadequate. However, it is a brave stand, and any initiative that argues for the rationality and humanity of open borders is a welcome counter to the short-sighted, rightwing response to refugees fleeing Libya, Egypt and Tunisia[…].
No One is Illegal (NOII), the group that campaigns for open borders, organised a stunt in conjunction with Lush: trying to board the 10.57am Eurostar train to Calais using a travel document called the “world passport”, which confirmed that “its bearer is a human being, and not an alien”.
Lush’s campaign is a welcome antidote to immigration hysteria | Rahila Gupta | Comment is free
Lush, the cosmetic brand, yes. And if I liked them before (I do, even though they are pricey), I absolutely adore them now. Sure, it’s a marketing stunt. Sure, it’s an exercise to attract attention. But let me tell you this much: it’s a brave one. Brands do not want to be associated with these kinds of politics. They fear an angry, conservative consumer base that might mean lost revenue. That’s why they rarely take stands for any kind of social justice. The immigrants that Lush is currently trying to bring attention to are also their least likely customers (one needs to be of certain wealth to shop there). So, it is not like they are trying to make their core demographics happy.
And this publicity stunt is creating attention (look, they are being discussed in The Guardian, that’s the kind of advertising space money cannot buy), but they also brought a subject to the spotlight that needs urgent discussion.
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