Lidl under fire for erasing crosses
The German discount supermarket chain is having a "Greece week" and selling Greek specialities in packaging showing the Island of Santorini. However the characteristic white churches with blue domes in the image have been airbrushed and the Orthodox crosses removed. The social media and Bulgaria's press are having a field day over the incident.
Politically correct propaganda
Sometimes political correctness can be taken too far, Webcafé comments:
“The genius who came up with the packaging for tzatziki, yoghurt, moussaka and other Lidl products has accomplished something the propaganda department of the Eurasian Union has been trying to do for ten years without success. ... Whereas in the past, propaganda think tanks had to come up with their own fake news, nowadays they get it as a finished product. No doubt this case will go down in the history of advertising. If you use a nation's symbols for advertising, you can't mess around with them to make them suit your purposes. Lidl has apologised, but perhaps the time has come for a serious debate about the abuse of political correctness, even if the intentions behind it are good.”
Get a grip!
The editor-in-chief of 24 Chasa, Borislav Zumbulev, can't understand all the fuss:
“Get a grip, people! The packaging is just advertising and doesn't have to reflect reality 100 percent. The blue roofs of Santorini are supposed to conjure up a Mediterranean atmosphere in the minds of customers, not convey an accurate image of the island. Political correctness is one thing, but stuffed vine leaves in packages featuring orthodox crosses would be too corny. ... Airbrushing reality to make it politically correct for everyone may not be the cleverest idea Lidl ever had, but we're talking about stuffed vine leaves here! Hardly a subject for fierce public debate.”