Czech Man Goes Shopping at Lidl with Massive Crucifix

The activist says he was protesting the company’s removal of crosses from its Greek-food packaging

Expats.cz Staff Jason Pirodsky

Written by Expats.cz Staff,  Jason Pirodsky Published on 05.09.2017 10:52:12 (updated on 05.09.2017) Reading time: 1 minute

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Responding to the news that discount grocery chain Lidl deliberately airbrushed crosses from the Orthodox churches featured on packaging for its Eridanous product line, an Olomouc man went out for some groceries on Sunday—giant crucifix in hand.

Dressed as a Christian monk the man and a white-robed female partner went into a Lidl store, reportedly filling a basket with over 2,000 CZK worth of Greek-style food and then deciding once the groceries had been rung up, that they were unable to pay.

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Police were called but no legal action was taken, despite claims by management that the duo was frightening customers.

The man, who has been identified as Czech activist Martin Zapletal, noted on his Facebook profile that he was protesting the supermarket chain having erased the crosses from the blue-domed Orthodox churches on its packaging for Greek items.

Following severe public backlash including calls for a Lidl boycott as well as harsh criticism from Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka the Czech branch of the discount supermarket chain has since apologized for the ad campaign; a Lidl corporate spokesperson said that no intentional statement was being made by the redesign.

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Zapletal is no stranger to publicity. He made headlines in May 2016 for mooning a U.S. army convoy passing through the Moravian town of Vyškov.

Lidl is also used to grabbing its fair share of headlines: last May the chain saw worldwide support after receiving hate mail for using a black model in an advert.

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