EU court rules in favor of Ikea against Belgian far-right party – POLITICO

A far-right attempt at political parody was dismantled by a European court like an old Billy bookcase.

Flemish party Vlaams Belang’s anti-immigration campaign spoofing Ikea’s assembly instructions “may cause significant detriment” to the furniture-maker’s reputation, the Court of Justice of the European Union said in a ruling Tuesday.

In 2022, Vlaams Belang presented its “IKEA-Plan”, standing for “Immigratie Kan Echt Anders” or “Immigration can really be different.” Proposals to reform Belgium’s immigration policy were illustrated with the Swedish giant’s blue-and-yellow logo and the smiley characters found in its instruction sheets. “We do not wish our brand to be used to suggest that we support certain positions when we do not,” an Ikea spokesperson said at the time.