Coca Killa withdrawn from ESF
The Coke Justice group and Columbian Solidarity achieved an important victory today when the ESF management decided withdraw the sale of Coca Cola, dubbed Coca Killa, from sale at the ESF.
Yesterday, Andy Higginbottom, director of Columbian Solidarity, expressed his anger at the sale of Coke at the ESF and urged the audience at an anti-multinational corporation seminar to complain to the ESF about it. His organisation invited Edgar Paez, a columbian trade unionist, to speak at several events at the Forum about the brutal repression his union has suffered for demanding better conditions at work in Coca Cola bottling plants. 9 Unionists from the food and drink union, SINALTRAINAL, have been asssassinated by paramilities, believed to be in collusion with Coca Cola, and several abducted, imprisoned and threatened.
When Red Pepper phoned the management of the ESF about the sale of Coke at the Forum this morning, their initial response was dissmissive. However, an hour later, they informed us that they had decided to withdraw all Coca Cola products. "The ESF did tell the catering companies to maximise the presence of locally sourced, organic and ethical foods. Some were not aware of the controversy over Coca Cola, but they have now been informed and the offending products withdrawn," said Martin Green, Senior Events Officer.
Edgar Paez said of the news, "I thank the ESF for being awake enough to withdraw the sale of Coca Cola. This is a conference where we are denouncing globalisation and we cannot do this through the consumption of multinational companies."
Katherine Haywood
Yesterday, Andy Higginbottom, director of Columbian Solidarity, expressed his anger at the sale of Coke at the ESF and urged the audience at an anti-multinational corporation seminar to complain to the ESF about it. His organisation invited Edgar Paez, a columbian trade unionist, to speak at several events at the Forum about the brutal repression his union has suffered for demanding better conditions at work in Coca Cola bottling plants. 9 Unionists from the food and drink union, SINALTRAINAL, have been asssassinated by paramilities, believed to be in collusion with Coca Cola, and several abducted, imprisoned and threatened.
When Red Pepper phoned the management of the ESF about the sale of Coke at the Forum this morning, their initial response was dissmissive. However, an hour later, they informed us that they had decided to withdraw all Coca Cola products. "The ESF did tell the catering companies to maximise the presence of locally sourced, organic and ethical foods. Some were not aware of the controversy over Coca Cola, but they have now been informed and the offending products withdrawn," said Martin Green, Senior Events Officer.
Edgar Paez said of the news, "I thank the ESF for being awake enough to withdraw the sale of Coca Cola. This is a conference where we are denouncing globalisation and we cannot do this through the consumption of multinational companies."
Katherine Haywood
posted by Katherine Haywood at 2:09 PM
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