Shoppers at a supermarket in Hamburg were surprised to be met this week by row upon row of empty shelves.
Edeka, the largest supermarket chain in Germany, stripped the shelves of all foreign-made products at one store, leaving a serious shortage of stock.
The store is using the eye-catching campaign to highlight just how reliant Germans are on other countries for their everyday products.
Instead of finding the shelves laden with their usual groceries, shoppers instead discovered signs bearing slogans celebrating diversity and slamming xenophobia.
This is what a racist supermarket looks like in Germany.... Diversity=richness. https://t.co/CnwgOD5rSC#EDEKApic.twitter.com/yArTwuliPe
— yannis zachos (@yazac) August 24, 2017
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“This shelf is pretty boring without diversity,” read one sign.
Another added: “This is how empty a shelf is without foreigners.”
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It is believed that this could be just the first step in a wider campaign from the supermarket, according to The Independent.
“Edeka stands for variety and diversity,” said a spokesperson for the company. “In our stores we sell numerous foods which are produced in the various regions of Germany. But only together with products from other countries is it possible to create the unique variety that our consumers value.”
But Edeka’s statement has been met with a mixed reaction from politicians and the public.
Julia Klockner, a vice chairperson of the Christian Democratic Union party, praised it as a “wise action” on social media.
Marcus Pretzell, from the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, shot back: “Why exactly is it wise? Is it not, rather, completely mad?”
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Some on social media have accused Edeka of launching a marketing campaign that rides on the back of political tension in the country in the lead- up to next month’s elections.
Immigration has been a big point of contention in Germany, ever since Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in 2015 that the country would welcome more than a million migrants into the country.
Many were thrilled that a European country was stepping up and doing its part to help alleviate the pressure and suffering of the refugee crisis, with many of those who entered Germany being Syrian refugees. But others were furious, believing that the decision was a disaster for security and the economy.
Migration will be one of the key factors in next month’s election. Merkel’s gesture of welcome towards migrants lost her significant support among voters, although that support has somewhat recovered and her CDU party is currently polling at around 40%.
Meanwhile, the nationalist, Eurosceptic Alternative For Germany (AfD) party — which celebrated both Brexit and Trump — looks set to have its most successful election in its four-year history. The party is currently polling at around 8%.