đ§Œđ„ "If You Don't Support Gaza, Don't Shop Here," says Founder of LUSH. I Wish Every Business Would Follow His Lead.
Mark Constantine shut stores in solidarity with starving Palestiniansâand told opponents to take their money elsewhere
For over two years now, the world has watched Gaza be starved, bombed, and crushedâwhile most major brands hide behind safe language and silence. Thatâs why what Lush didâand what its founder just saidâhit me like a jolt. Itâs rare to see a CEO speak with moral clarity instead of corporate cowardice.
Before I break this down, I want to ask you from the heart to become a member today. I keep this work free for the worldâfor readers in Gaza, for students in public schools, for families in deep poverty, for elders on fixed incomesâbecause a smaller circle of people who can afford it chooses to carry some of the cost. If thatâs you, please click here to become a member and click here to join as a monthly, annual, or founding member. Your support keeps this work free for them, and even for you when you canât afford to pay.
Now let me tell you what Lushâs founder saidâand why I wish a hundred other brands would copy him tomorrow.
Mark ConstantineâLushâs co-founderâwas asked what he thinks about customers who oppose his stance on Gaza and decide not to shop at Lush because of it. His answer wasnât the usual corporate dance. He didnât beg for neutrality. He didnât pretend âboth sidesâ are equal. He didnât say, âWe respect all viewpoints.â
He said, âYou shouldnât come into my shop.â
And then he explained why with a blunt honesty that made me respect him even more. He told people, essentially, that if they give him profits, heâs going to do more of the very activism they claim to hateâso if that bothers them, they should absolutely take their money elsewhere.
That is the exact opposite of how most CEOs behave.
Most executives will take your money, fund whatever they want behind the scenes, and then act offended when anyone asks them to show a spine. They want the profits without the consequences. They want to appear âvalues-drivenâ without ever being tested by those values.
Constantine didnât do that. He told the truth: your money is political whether you admit it or not. If you buy from brands that stay silent while children starve, you are still making a choice. If you buy from brands that speak out, youâre still making a choice. There is no neutral shopping cart.
And I want to underline what Lush actually did. In September, Lush shut its UK stores and closed its website for a day in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza facing starvation. They put messages in their windows that read: âStop starving Gaza, we are closed in solidarity.â They also published a statement saying they shared the anguish millions of people feel seeing images of starving people in Gaza.
That is not a perfect action that solves everything. It is a signal. A refusal. A break from the corporate herd.
And in a time when Gaza has been turned into a place where children can be reduced to statistics and adults can be erased with language, signals matter. Public stands matter. Refusing to normalize starvation matters.
Hereâs what I especially appreciated about his framing: he said compassion isnât âleft wing.â He said being kind, sympathetic, and compassionate shouldnât be treated like a partisan position. Heâs right. Feeding the hungry isnât a political party. Refusing to starve a population isnât an ideology. Itâs basic human decency.
And if youâre a person of faithâChristian, Muslim, Jewish, or anything elseâthis should hit even deeper. Our scriptures donât allow us to watch children starve and shrug. They donât allow us to see suffering and hide behind âstaying out of politics.â They donât allow us to profit while people are being crushed.
So yes, Iâm saying it plainly: I hope other brands follow Lush. Not with performative posts. Not with vague statements. With action that costs them something. With language that refuses to tiptoe around starvation.
Because what Gaza has exposedâover and overâis that a lot of companies have no problem taking money from anyone, then using silence as a shield while the world burns.
Lush did something different.
And Constantine did something even rarer: he told people who oppose that compassion to take their business elsewhere.
Thatâs what it looks like when a company understands that values arenât decorationâthey are direction.
If you want more writing like thisâclear, direct, and unboughtâplease stand with me. Please click here to become a member and click here to join as a monthly, annual, or founding member. I keep this work free for the world, but I can only do that if some of you decide to carry it.
Love and appreciate each of you.
Your friend and brother,
Shaun
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So proud of this man and his bold stance. We should all support LUSH and encourage other businesses to do the same thing.
Thanks for sharing this Shaun. Props to Mr. Constantine and Lush for their stance and commitment to justice and shared humanity/human dignity!