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A customer walks down the aisle of a shop in the Carrefour Shopping center at the eve of the Black Friday event, in Cesson, western France, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. Some French lawmakers are considering banning Black Friday, the post-Thanksgiving sales event that has morphed into a global phenomenon. A legislative committee passed an amendment Monday that proposes prohibiting Black Friday since it causes "resource waste" and "overconsumption." The amendment will be debated in the National Assembly next month. (AP Photo/David Vincent)

Black Friday frenzy goes global - and not everyone’s happy

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PARIS — People don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in France, or Denmark, or South Africa – but they do shop on Black Friday.

The U.S. sales phenomenon has spread to retailers across the world in recent years with such force that it’s prompting a backlash from some activists, politicians and even consumers.

Workers at Amazon in Germany went on strike for better pay on one of the busiest days of the year. Near Paris, climate demonstrators blocked one of the company’s warehouses on Thursday to protest over-production they say is killing the planet. Some French lawmakers want to ban Black Friday altogether.

Consumer rights groups in Britain and some other countries say it’s not always clear how real or big the discounts are. Other critics say it hurts small businesses.

Angela Charlton And Claire Parker, The Associated Press