Skip to content or view screen version

Coca-Cola publish photos of protest against themselves

bethgranter | 28.12.2013 21:45 | Gender | Policing | Repression | South Coast

On Saturday December 21 ten human rights activists launched a surprise demonstration against Coca-Cola, at the Coca-Cola truck marketing event in Brighton, United Kingdom. The group were demanding that Coca-Cola, as a sponsor of the coming Olympics in Sochi, break their silence on Russia’s homophobic laws. This week, Coca-Cola published official photos of part of the demonstration via their CokeZone website.

Photo from CokeZone of anti-Coca-Cola demo for Russian LGBTQ+ rights
Photo from CokeZone of anti-Coca-Cola demo for Russian LGBTQ+ rights

Photo of anti-Coca-Cola demo for Russian LGBTQ+ rights
Photo of anti-Coca-Cola demo for Russian LGBTQ+ rights


See original photos at:
 http://bit.ly/cokedemo
 http://bit.ly/cokedemo3
 http://bit.ly/cokedemo4

The placards read: “Olympic sponsors break your silence on LGBTQ+ Russia!”, “Defend LGBTQ+ people in Russia!” and “Demand protection for LGBTQ+ Russians!”. We wonder if these demo photos will remain online as attention is drawn to them worldwide, or whether Coca-Cola will seek to silence the demonstrators’ call for equal rights.

Whilst Coca-Cola may be the “best place to work for LGBT equality“, they seek to benefit financially from sponsoring an event in a country which actively oppresses LGBTQ+ people through new anti-gay laws.

Since Putin passed the law against the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors”, Russian LGBTQ+ citizens have seen homophobic and transphobic violence against them increase, whilst police stand by or even arrest the victims of assault. These laws victimise LGBTQ+ people and validate violence towards us in a country where people are increasingly angry at a multitude of oppressive measures from the government.

As Olympic sponsors, Coca-Cola and other sponsors are in a strong position where a statement of solidarity with Russian LGBTQ+ people, and explicitly against the anti-gay laws in Russia, would put pressure on Putin and his government to reconsider. Coca-Cola should use its sponsorship to raise awareness of the plight of Russian LGBTQ+ people, as its current silence makes Coca-Cola complicit in the abuse of LGBTQ+ people.

You can help raise awareness and put pressure on Coca-Cola by sharing this post, sharing the photos linked above on Facebook and Twitter, and sign a petition such as this one to demand Coca-Cola speak out. We’ll also be targeting other sponsors and demonstrating at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, so keep in touch with us via Facebook at  http://facebook.com/russiawithlovebrighton

See more photos of the demonstration (not published by Coca-Cola!) at  http://bit.ly/cokedemo2

Here’s me protesting at the Coca-Cola truck after we did the official Coca-Cola photo shoot!

bethgranter
- e-mail: beth@bethgranter.com
- Homepage: http://bethgranter.com

Comments

Hide 3 hidden comments or hide all comments

http://killercoke.org/

29.12.2013 15:17

 http://killercoke.org/

IHTF

Common sense !

30.12.2013 17:21

Coca Cola just want to sell fizzy pops. They don't care wether your are gay or hetero, black or white, christian or muslim. They don't want to piss anyone off, if it means that they won't buy their pop. They don't own any guns or hire and police officers or soldiers.

The guns, the police, the soldiers and the prisons all belong to the pubic sector social enterprise, the government. So if society is going to be governed by force, why would any private business want the government guns on their side ?

Anyway, I prefer Morrison's cola. It's cheeper and it's much cooler to be seen with ;)

anarchist

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

More publicity for Coke

30.12.2013 17:24

They must be laughing at you, you fell right into the clever trap !

Seeing the bigger picture

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Doh

30.12.2013 19:53

What a bunch of sad wasters, have you really got nothing better to do. Shame on you !

Marco

FAI/IRF threatens Coca Cola and Nestle with product sabotage

01.01.2014 19:45

The FAI/IRF militant group has sent zougla.gr an envelope containing a USB drive and a 500ml Coca Cola bottle. Included on the USB stick is a six-page declaration of their "Green Nemesis" operation and a video.

In their declaration the group attacks Coca Cola and Nestle and claims that four days after sending the envelop, they would put bottles of Coca Cola and Nestea tampered with 100ml of hydrochloric acid back on store shelves. The militant group declares that their intention is not to harm innocent people, but to force the multinational companies of withdrawing their products from the shelves.

In the video included on the USB drive, the group shows how they managed tampered with a Coca Cola Light bottle without causing any damage to it seal, to demonstrate that the group is capable of carrying out the threat.

 http://www.tovima.gr/en/article/?aid=551969

'anonymous

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

The FAI/IRF militant group

02.01.2014 18:06

' The FAI/IRF militant group '

Three spotty keyboard warriors

Laughing

Hide 3 hidden comments or hide all comments