Coca Cola
Current boycott calls
Murder of union officials
Colombia Solidarity Campaign (CSC) are calling for a boycott of Coca-Cola. It accuses the company of complicity in the assassination of 8 Sinaltrainal (Colombian Food and Drinks Workers’ Union) trade union leaders in Colombia since 1990. Many other leaders were said to have been imprisoned, tortured, forcibly displaced and exiled. The International Boycott of Coca Cola started on the 22 July 2003, and was called by Sinaltrainaland supported by the World Social Forum and two of Colombia's principle trade unions.
According to campaigners 'many of Sinaltrainal’s victims were killed inside Coca Cola plants while negotiating collective agreements. Coca Cola management were reported in the national press as meeting and contracting members of the AUC death squads to “sort out their labour problems”.' The unions have pursued the matter through the courts in Colombia and the US with the help of the United Steel Workers' Union. But Coca-Cola, they claim, has refused to cooperate and is try to sue for libel in response.
For more information see the Killer Coke website at
Ground water robbery
In India, Coca Cola has caused severe water shortages, polluted groundwater and soil around its bottling plant, distributed its toxic waste as "fertiliser" to local farmers and sold drinks with extremely high levels of pesticides. For more information see the Indian Resource Centre.
Past Boycotts
Feeling Red Seeing Blue
Feeling Blue Seeing Red's website (www.feelingblueseeingred.org) said it was calling a boycott of Coca Cola when it was viewed by ECRA in January 2007, and checked again in May 2009. Feeling Blue said this boycott would continue until Coca Cola's stock reached a level of 22 or it revised its policies and actively protected workers being persecuted for supporting the unionisation of Colombia's bottling plants.
Big Campaign
The Big Campaign (a boycott of Israeli products, services and companies organised by the UK-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign) had previously called a boycott for Coke. The company was listed for
helping fund what it described as "a pro-Israel lecture" at an event co-sponsored by Zionist organisations.
Indian farmers' association
According to a press release for the Indian farmers' association Karnataka Rajya Ryota Sangha (KRRS), on 3rd May 2001, the Karnataka Trade Union Centre had been about to launch a campaign against Coca Cola as the first step towards a boycott of imported goods. India had been forced to drop its import restrictions when it became bound by World Trade Organisation rules. The press release said the union had also been planning to 'destroy the Coca Cola stocks in the city' as the first step of the campaign.
Pure Food Campaign
According to Co-op America Quarterly, in 1997 the US-based Pure Food Campaign launched a number of boycotts of products made by companies which said they were not opposed to the use of genetically altered crops. They included Coca-Cola which uses corn sweeteners.
Malaysia Action Front
It was reported in 1993 that a group of NGOs in Malaysia under the name of the Malaysia Action Front (MAF) has called a boycott of US-made goods including Coca Cola. They claim that these goods are 'leading symbols of American culture and political imperialism', and also point out the hypocrisy of US foreign policy such as inaction in Bosnia-Herzegovina, military action in Somalia as well as trade sanctions against Cuba and North Korea.
Irish National Caucus
Boycott called by the Irish National Caucus, Inc. of America, in protest against Coca Cola's alleged involvement with a sports club which discriminates against Catholics.