DENMARK: Pro-Kremlin party United Russia yesterday urged Russians to boycott Danish products - beers, sausages and shoes - to protest at Copenhagen's refusal to ban a world Chechen congress.
"United Russia calls on Russian citizens to take a stance towards Denmark. All those who consider themselves citizens should avoid going to Denmark, buying Danish products or dealing with Danish business people," said a statement on the party's website.
Several restaurants and bars in Yekaterinburg, in the central Urals region, have already decided to remove from their menus Carlsberg and Tuborg beers, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.
"This is a protest against the holding of the so-called Chechen congress for peace at the same time as" the siege in a Moscow theatre where Chechen separatists seized 800 hostages, said Ms Yelena Polozhentseva, of the Taverna restaurant.
According to Russian television, the boycott could also affect Danish sausages as well as the Ecco brand of shoes, which is widely sold in Moscow. The Danish embassy in Moscow refused to comment.
Moscow Mayor Mr Yury Luzhkov, a senior figure in United Russia, however criticised his party's initiative, saying it was seeking to take advantage of the situation for self-publicity.