“I was in Billa today, planning to do a big weekend shopping when I saw Zem a Vek in the stand among other magazines,” wrote blogger Jakub Goda on Facebook page of Billa supermarket, adding that it made him lose his appetite.
Zem a Vek (which translates as Earth and Time in English) is a conspiracy magazine, spreading hoaxes and conspiracy theories as well as anti-Semitism, which is what Goda also pointed out in his Facebook post.
The supermarket answered Goda’s post after nine days, saying that the Zem a Vek magazine will no longer be available on the counters of the supermarket from next month (July). This decision has resulted in a wave of supportive voices as well as criticism.
The decision of the Billa supermarket was widely shared online. A group of people applauded the supermarket’s decision to fight against conspiracy theories and hoaxes.
However, the supporters of the magazine, as they call it “alternative media”, talked about censorship, a new totalitarian regime, the suppression of freedom of the speech, liberal propaganda, George Soros’s manipulation and they are calling for a boycott of Billa.
Other supermarkets react
Jakub Goda wishes that Billa’s decision will serve as an example for other companies that act like they cannot filter what they sell.
“A respectable company cannot sell cancer hoaxes and hatred towards Jews,” wrote Jakub Goda. However, other Slovak supermarkets reacted differently.
