Protesters claim that the world’s second largest retailer has donated money to Indian groups that support the Dalai Lama and, by implication, Tibetan secession, although Carrefour has strenuously denied the allegations.
Up to 400 protesters were reported to have gathered in the southeastern city of Fuzhou.
The demonstrations were suppressed quickly by the Chinese authorities and Carrefour chairman José Luis Duran said that the retailer would do its utmost to support the forthcoming Olympics.
A boycott of Carrefour stores was planned for May 1, but appeared to be unsuccessful. The French retail giant, which has 112 stores in China, declined to comment on whether its business had been affected.
The outburst is the latest in a wave of popular protest against Western companies, sparked by controversy over the Beijing Olympics and the progress of the game’s torch globally, but particularly in Paris, where it was snatched from a wheelchair-bound athlete.
MHE Retail chairman Edward Whitefield said: “You’re going to get minority activists, but I don’t think this will be pervasive.”
He added that China remains a prime location for Western retailers. “Obviously, like most economies, the next two years are not going to show the strength of growth as the previous five, but the momentum is going to continue,” he said.
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