Woolies store vandalised over controversial Australia Day decision
A Woolworths Metro store in Brisbane has been vandalised over the supermarket giant's controversial decision to not stock Australia Day merchandise.
The Woolies in the north-east suburb of Teneriffe was hit with a flare and graffitied with the message "5 days 26 Jan Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Woolies f*** u” on the side of the building.
One local shared on social media that a flare was also set off at the front entrance, setting off the fire alarm about 5am on Monday morning, shortly after staff were seen cleaning the graffiti.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services confirmed three crews “responded to an alarm activation” at the store, where firefighters found smoke at the scene and ventilated the area.
They left the vandalised store at 6am, where police took over the scene.
“Thankfully no team members or customers were injured as this occurred before the store opened,” a Woolworths spokesperson said in a statement.
“We’re grateful to the police and fire brigade who attended."
“There’s no reason for vandalism and we’ll continue to liaise with Queensland Police.”
The vandalism comes just days after the supermarket giant announced they would not be stocking any specialised merch ahead of Australia Day.
Woolworths shared that the reason for pulling Aussie decorations off the shelves was due to the “gradual decline” in demand for the merchandise over the years and “broader discussion” about the January 26th date and “what it means” to different parts of the community.
“While Australian flags are sold within BIG W all year round, we don’t have any additional themed merchandise available to purchase in-store in our Supermarkets or BIG W ahead of Australia Day,” a spokesperson said.
“We know many people like to use this day as a time to get together and we offer a huge variety of products to help customers mark the day as they choose.”
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