IKEA's response to a bigot customer gets kudos

An IKEA store in Switzerland is being praised for defending an employee against a bigoted comment made by a customer.

According to a report by NDTV, the customer, after visiting the store and finding the cashier in a headscarf wrote a negative review. Stating that it was "too bad" to find a "cashier in headscarf", the customer wrote that he will "not step into that store again".

Responding to the review, IKEA said that the company has "clear values" which include "respect for everyone regardless of their origin, sexual orientation or religion. Before you judge a person based on their clothes, you must get to know them".

"We do not welcome your comment which is explicitly discriminatory. Of course, you have the right to have your opinions in private, but publishing them openly in this way exposes you to the eyes of the law, and we will in no way mourn the fact that you no longer 'step into' our store with such ideas," the store said.

The statement, and the stance taken by IKEA, received wide-scale praise online, with many users giving the store five star reviews. Users also commented on the store's "tolerance", "courage" and "open mind".

According to reports, the incident comes against the background of debate in the Swiss society regarding the ban on veils. In 2018, the Swiss government had said regarding that matter that cantons should decide on the issue independently. The cantons of St Gallen and Ticino have, in fact, banned facial coverings, including burqas, in public spaces.