Coca-Cola's Murderous Record of Anti-Union Activity in Colombia Exposed

It is also important to note that the Coca-Cola Company owns numerous other beverage brands, including the healthy juice brand, Odwalla.

© Coca-Cola Company

(BOGOTA) - Coca-Cola: to many, it is simply the all-American cola that everyone grew up drinking. Originally created in the late 1800s as a medicine, Coca-Cola eventually evolved into one of the world's most popular soft drinks. Besides being a very unhealthy beverage, Coca-Cola has another dirty secret for which few people are aware; the Coca-Cola Company has been involved in a series of kidnappings involving union leaders and organizers at its Colombia bottling facilities. Many of those kidnapped have been severely tortured and even murdered by company thugs.

As shocking and unbelievable as all of this sounds, there is a trail of documented evidence against Coca-Cola for its crimes against union officials. In fact, back in 2001, the United Steelworkers of America and the International Labor Rights Fund, filed a joint lawsuit on behalf of SINALTRAINAL to address the problems in Colombia.

Javier Correa, President of the National Union of Food Industry Workers, and William Mendoza, President of the Barrancabermeja location in Colombia, have joined together with Ray Rogers, Director of the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, to bring light to the issue and push for an end to the atrocities.

How did it all start?

Most people recognize that unions are formed to protect workers from unfair treatment and abuse by employers. Though some do not operate as intended, the general idea of unions is to ensure that workers are receiving fair pay for their labor and that they are not being grossly extorted by those for whom they work.

U.S. laws have been designed to protect American workers who form labor unions from being threatened or silenced by the companies for whom they work, and while they are not perfect, their intent was for the best interests of American workers.

When workers at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia began to step up and organize unions, the Coca-Cola Company allegedly began to contract with paramilitary security forces to deal with leaders and organizers, something they would not legally be able to do in the U.S. Even today, these forces are using extreme tactics to silence anyone who would dare attempt to organize workers to form a union. These tactics include violent detention efforts, torture and even murder.

Internal Pentagon records that were eventually required to be made public revealed that Colombian troops connected with Coca-Cola's paramilitary forces were also being trained at the U.S. Army's School of the Americas (SOA) in Fort Benning, Georgia, to torture and murder those who conduct "union organizing and recruiting", distribute "propaganda in favor of workers", and "sympathize with demonstrators or strikes."

Is this an isolated incident?

This is not the first time, or the first country, in which Coca-Cola has been responsible for severe human rights abuses. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the company was responsible for similar behavior in Guatemala, where eight workers in Guatemala City were murdered or otherwise killed for trying to keep their union alive.

Thanks to massive international protests against Coca-Cola following campaigns that brought the truth to light, the multi-national giant was forced to concede and the Guatemalan union survived. But at the time, even the government of Guatemala was unwilling to address the issue; it took the efforts of concerned citizens around the world to win the battle against Coca-Cola and achieve some sort of justice.

The Coca-Cola Company has also been accused of similar human rights abuses in other countries today, including in developing countries like India and China where it has plants. Because the company is so large and powerful, it exerts considerable sway on governments worldwide that turn a blind eye to its abuses.

What is being done to stop Coca-Cola?

The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke has been working for years to bring awareness of these atrocities to light, but unfortunately not much has been resolved in Colombia. And the fact that certain sensitive documents reveal that the U.S. government is playing a role in protecting Coca-Cola adds fuel to the fire. Fortunately, the campaign has been able to successfully initiate some positive steps towards ending Coca-Cola's Colombian tyranny.

In 2006, the University of Michigan, New York University, and a handful of other colleges and universities in North American and Europe cut ties with Coca-Cola because the company would not agree to an independent, third-party audit of its human rights, labor and environmental abuses in both Colombia and India.

Also in 2006, as the World Cup was coming to London with Coca-Cola as one of its primary sponsors, "War on Want" issued a report detailing some of Coca-Cola's abuses around the world. These included:

• Massive drilling efforts in India that exhausted local water supplies and wells, leaving Indian farmers with no water to irrigate their crops.


• Ecosystem contamination in El Salvador and India due to plant waste discharge.


• The human rights abuses taking place in Colombia, as well as in Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Peru, Chile, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Source: Natural News

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Is there any way to break the long comment up into paragraphs? It is REALLY difficult tor read!

Thanks for suggesting it....

When I saw the words massive drilling I was thinking of peoples teeth who drink this stuff . All of their products are third rate compared to fresh squeezed juice or good country well water or even city water with a good filter . Do yourself a big favor and your kids, if you have any , stop drinking this unhealthy and expensive fare . Dental health effects the total being not just the mouth . The choice is yours , as long as your family is not already totally brainwashed by the mass media forcing the idea that Coca cola is a good choice down your brain ! I also realize a number of people are already addicted to the product and can not break the addiction .

From 1966 Coca-Cola has been a staunch supporter of Israel. In 1997 the Government of Israel Economic Mission honored Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel.

Every year Coca Cola bankrolls the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Awards which honors companies that have contributed most to the Israeli economy. In 2009 a Coca-Cola sponsored award went to Israel’s Lobby AIPAC for its lobbying of the Senate to reject of the UN call for "immediate ceasefire" and endorse the continuation of the Israel military assault on Gaza.

In 2008 Coca-Cola tasked the Israeli venture capital Challenge Fund to locate suitable investments in Israel with a promise of "a blank cheque” . This agreement is exceptional in the Israeli venture capital industry.

In 2009 Coca-Cola hosted a special reception at the Coca-Cola world headquarters to honour Brigadier-General Ben-Eliezer. Ben-Eliezer is a wanted war criminal, during the Six-Day War his unit was responsible for the execution of over 300 Egyptian POWs. Under Sharon, Ben-Eliezer served as Defence Minister presiding over the massacre at Jenin.

Coca-Cola Israel owns dairy farms in the illegal Israeli settlements of Shadmot Mechola in the Jordan Valley and a plant in the industrial zone of Katzerin n the occupied Golan Heights.

Last updated: 30 March 2010

Products and Affiliated Companies:
Coca-Cola produces over 3,000 beverages, the full list is available on their website at
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/brands/brandlist.html

In the UK their popular brands include:

Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola Zero
diet Coke
Sprite
Fanta
Lilt
Dr Pepper
Oasis
Kia-Ora
Schweppes
Five Alive
Minute Maid
Roses
Powerade
Relentless
Malvern
glacéau vitaminwater®



Research Findings:

The Coca Cola Company, with a portfolio of more than 3,000 beverages, is the worlds largest beverage company operating in more than 200 countries. In 2008 Coca-Cola made a gross profit of over $20 billion. It makes its money by supplying concentrates, beverage bases and syrups to its bottling partners world-wide. 76% of Coca-Cola bottlers around the world are owned or partly owned by the Coca-Cola Company. The bottling partners manufacture, package, merchandise and distribute the beverages to their customers who then sell it to consumers. 1.6 billion Coca-Cola's are consumed every day.[12]
Coca-Cola honoured by Israel

From 1966 onward Coca-Cola has been a staunch supporter of Israel.[47] According to the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta "The Consulate and Coca-Cola share a strong relationship and the firm is one of Israel's close trading partners."[34]

In 1997 the Government of Israel Economic Mission honored Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years and for "refusing to abide by the Arab League economic boycott of Israel. For decades, this cost Coca-Cola the opportunity to sell its products in Arab countries." [48] [ In contrast Pepsi abided by the Arab League boycott of Israel which ended in May 1991, after 1992 Pepsi is also trading in Israel - see [49] ]
Close ties to American-Israel Chamber of Commerce

Coca Cola has always been very closely linked to the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC). The AICC's mission statement is to boost the Israeli economy by fostering business relationships between Israel and the US (Southeast). Since its founding in 1992, AICC has been involved in completed transactions with Israel valued at more than $950 million[25].


In October 2001 Coca Cola bankrolled and hosted
the very first American-Israel Chamber of Commerce
Awards Gala at the Coca-Cola Company's world
headquaters on North Avenue, Atlanta to honour
those companies and deals that have contributed
most to the Israeli economy.

Like Coca Cola, AICC is also based in Atlanta - it shares a suite with the Israel company GPV[26]. AICC's leadership seems to always includes executives from the Coca Cola Company[21][15] and in return Coca Cola bankrolls many of AICC's activities.

The American-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC) current Vice Chairman is Joel Neuman from The Coca-Cola Company, the AICC website states that Neuman and the rest of the leadership is "committed to opening doors for Israeli companies within their own companies and network of connections."[15]

Courtesy of AICC's door opening, Coca-Cola Enterprises is now using the services of the Israeli company GreenRoad, which produces software to aid driving behaviour[17].

Coca Cola actively encourages other companies to invest in Israel by sponsoring awards to companies that boost Israels economy. In October 2001 Coca Cola bankrolled and hosted the very first American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala at the Coca-Cola Company's world headquaters on North Avenue, Atlanta to honour those companies and deals that have contributed most to the Israeli economy. The awards were given out by Israel’s Economic Minister to North America Zohar Peri[51][42].

In May 2003 the Coca Cola sponsered American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala featured as its key note speaker the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Dany Ayalon (current Deputy Foreign Minister - 2010).

Every year Coca Cola bankrolls the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Awards which honors companies that have contributed most to Southeastern U.S.-Israel business relationships by generating both jobs and investment in Israel.[28][29][3][30][31][32]


Coca-Cola sponsored American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Eagle Star
Awards bestowed the "Community Partner Award" to Israels Lobby AIPAC
for its successful lobbying of the Senate to reject of the UN call
for "immediate ceasefire" and endorse the continuation of the
Israel military assault on Gaza.

And again in 2007 Coca Cola hosted the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala at the Coca-Cola Co's headquaters. Coca-Cola’s Israel country manager and strategic planning director for the Eurasia Group, Richard Izsak, was the keynote speaker at the Gala.[4]

In May 2009 Coca-Cola sponsored American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Eagle Star Awards bestowed the "Community Partner Award" to Israels Lobby AIPAC[19] for its successful lobbying of the Senate to reject of the UN call for "immediate ceasefire" and endorse the continuation of the Israel military assault on Gaza.[20].

Coca-Cola sponsered the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce "Southeast - Israel Water Technology Business Exchange held in Atlanta on October 15 2009[27]. Nine Israeli companies pitched their wares followed by one to one meeting with municipal operators and local companies. "We’re pleased to have brought these companies together, and trust that the event will produce business for the Israeli companies and solutions for the Southeast operators and companies" said Gene Rubel of AICC[16].
Coca Cola honouring a war criminal

In September 2009 Coca-Cola hosted a special reception at the Coca-Cola world headquarters to honour Brigadier-General Binyamin Ben-Eliezer[33][34], Israel's ex-Minister of Defense currently Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. The reception was attended by the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and almost 150 members of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce[18]. Brigadier-General Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is a wanted war criminal. According to Dr.Aryeh Yitzhaki, a mainstream Israeli military historian, the IDF killed around a 1000 Egyptian POWs during the Six-Day War. Ben-Eliezer "Shaked unit" was responsible for one-third of those murders. [44][45]


Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (L), and Defense Minister Brigadier-General Binyamin Ben Eliezer at an army camp outside the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin in the West Bank, 10 April 2002, being briefed on the progress of the on-going slaughter of the Palestinian inhabitants which began 7 days ago.[61]

Dr. Yitzhaki reports that Palestinian volunteers in the Egyptian army were executed Nazi-style in El-Arish in 1967. Gabby Biron, a right-wing journalist who witnessed the murder of about 10 POWs before being forced to leave, confirmed Yitzhaki's report. Biron says that Israeli intelligence officers put POWs one by one through a short interrogation. If the IDF determined by the prisoner's accent that he was Palestinian, he was taken behind the building, forced to dig his own grave, and shot. According to Holocaust survivors, the incident bears a striking similarity to Nazi tactics.[46][44][43]


Defense Minister Brigadier-General Binyamin Ben Eliezer(R), Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon (C) and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (L) - three war criminals watching an army exercise at Shizafon amy base in southern Israel (9 Oct 2002).[61]

Ben-Eliezer was the First Commanding Officer in Southern Lebanon, appointed in 1977, acting as a liaison between the local Christian militias and Israel, laying the foundations for the collaboration which would result in the Sabra Shatilla massacre in 1982. From 1978-1981 he was the Military Governor of the West Bank and from 1983-1984 he was the Government Coordinator of Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Under Sharon, Ben-Eliezer served as Defence Minister (Mar 2001- Oct 2002) during Operation Defensive Shield where Israel brutally attacked and reoccupied Palestinian cities perpetrating war crimes with total disregard for civilian populations, prominent among them was the massacre at Jenin.


Defense Minister Brigadier-General Binyamin Ben Eliezer(L), Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon (C) and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (R) - three war criminals.[61]

In December 2009 The Coca-Cola Company's Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), Bilal Kaafarani, was the keynote speaker along with Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren and Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landau at the "US and Israel: Confronting Challenges" meeting in New York[22]. The event was organised by the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce which is the Israeli partner of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
Coca-Cola Israel - Mossad and the Lobby


Mossad operative Moshe Wertheim (top) is
currently president of Coca Cola Israel.
Abraham Feinberg, pictured (bottom) shaking hands with
President Truman, was Coca-Cola Israel's CEO until his
death in 1998. As a leading Zionist lobbist he
single-handedly arranged the financing of Truman's
presidential campaign. His influence on President
Lyndon Johnson ensured Israel didn't have to sign the NPT.

The Israel-America Chamber of Commerce was headed for five consecutive years (91-96) by a Mossad operative called Moshe Wertheim. Wertheim along with Abraham Feinberg had brought Coca Cola to Israel in 1968, Wertheim is currently president of Coca Cola Israel[13].

Abraham Feinberg was Coca-Cola Israel's CEO until he died in December 1998. He is described by the New York Magazine as "an ardent Zionist and towering member of the American Jewish lobby. Feinberg has played the power game in high places since 1948 when he single-handedly arranged the financing of Truman's underdog whistle-stop campaign. As a result of this coup and his intimate ties to Israeli leaders from David Ben-Gurion to Itzhak Rabin, he became a trusted Truman ally and an insider in all Democratic administrations since."[55] Declassified State Department documents revealled that it was Feinberg's influence on President Lyndon Johnson that ensured Johnson didn't compel Israel to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty before delivering 50 Phantom fighter jets to Israel which had previously been contingent upon Israel forgoing nuclear weapons[56].

Coca Cola Israel (aka Central Bottling Company), with an annual turnover of over $900 million, is among Coca-Cola’s ten largest single-plant bottling facilities worldwide. It provides nearly 5000 jobs in Israel.[5] Coca Cola Israel owns Tara Dairies, Israel's second largest dairy[5], which has dairy farms in the illegal Israeli settlelemts on the West Bank. Tara is a major shareholder of Meshek Zuriel Dairy (approx. 52%), which owns a dairy farm in the settlement of Shadmot Mechola in the occupied Jordan Valley. Additionally, the company holds a third of the shares of Ramat Hagolan Dairies, which is located in the occupied Golan Heights, in the industrial zone of Katzerin where the products of the company are manufactured[6][7].

Coca-Cola Israel also supports the Jewish National Fund[35] and sponsers training programs for its workers on subjects including the Israeli-Arab conflict. The course content is created by a company funded by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government.[52]

In July 2002, it was announced that Coca-Cola Israel, in return for $55 million in incentives from the Israeli government, is to build a new plant on stolen Palestinian land at Kiryat Gat employing 700 workers.[53] This development did not go ahead due to grant disputes and a new potential location (Ashkelon).

In October 2005, Coca-Cola Israel increased its investment in Israel by buying a 51 percent controlling interest in the Tavor Winery.[54]
'Blank Cheque' Investment in Israel

In March 2007 Coca Cola sent a trade delegation of top executives to Israel. According to Ilan Friedman of the American Israel Chamber of Commerce "the goal is to invest, acquire companies, sign strategic agreements with companies and funds, or merge with Israeli technology companies."[1][2] It was the first time the American Israel Chamber of Commerce had ever taken representatives from a single corporation to Israel.[4]

Following the trade delegation, Muhtar Kent, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, in June 2008 addressing the Israel Food Industries Association conference in Tel Aviv revealed Coca Cola's investment plan for Israel: "We've also set up an incubator program in Israel that focuses on new ideas and technologies emerging in areas like packaging, functional ingredients and water usage. Our goal is to select the most promising technologies, test them and commercialize them."[11] Coca-Cola has tasked the Israeli venture capital fund Challenge Fund to locate technology opportunities on the firm's behalf and promised "a blank check" for any suitable investments. This agreement with Coca Cola is exceptional in the Israeli venture capital industry[24].
Coca Cola CEO denies Palestinians

In August 2009 Muhtar Kent, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, was invited to Israel to speak at the Globes Conference on Social Responsibility in Tel Aviv.[8]


Caught on camera: Coca-Cola delivering to
the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel[58]

In his surreal speech on 'Social Responsibility' he praised Coca-Cola's 'great bottling partner' in Israel the Central Bottling Company (aka Coca Cola Israel) and talked of "Our vision of sustainability at Coca-Cola is a world where all people have access to safe water.. where our communities and our neighbors are prosperous.." - this a few miles from besieiged Gaza where Amnesty International in its report for the same year titled "Troubled Waters: Palestinians denied fair access to water"[9] revealled "90-95% of the water in Gaza is contaminated and unfit for human consumption" - Gazans (56% of whom are children) have to drink contaminated water because Israel is denying them drinking water. Coca Cola CEO never once mentioned Gaza - as if it never exsisted, instead he praised Golda Meir as a 'great leader' reflecting 'social responsibility'. Golda Meir had likewise denied the existance of the Palestinian people - "There is no such thing as a Palestinian people... It is not as if we came and threw them out and took their country. They didn't exist." He went on to talk of Coca Cola's sponsership of the Special Olympics and how he had met several Special Olympic athletes from Israel, but again never mentioning Palestinian athletes like 21 year old Lyad Abuelkheir[10] who suffers from Down's syndrome and was due to compete in the handball competition at the Special Olympics in Ireland in 2003 but was preveted from attending by the Israeli authorities despite holding an Irish visa.
Sponsoring propaganda

For most of the last two decades, every year Coca Cola has sponsored the JCC (Jewish Community Centre Association), in particular JCC Summer Camps (eg $77,500 in 2007[36]) and the JCC Maccabi Games where 6000 Jewish teens from different countries participate each summer.


The JCC Maccabi Games is sponsored by Coca-Cola
every year for most of the last two decades. Its mission
statement is to cultivate Jewish youth in an informal setting
to "encourage their identification with the state of Israel"[39]

In its mission statement it states that the JCC Maccabi Games aims to cultivate Jewish youth in an informal setting to "encourage their identification with the state of Israel"[37]. The JCC aims to "strengthen connections between North American Jews and Israel". The JCC achieves this through recruiting emissaries from Israel (shlichim), who are specially trained to whitewash Israels crimes, to help run their summer camps. The Jewish Agency for Israel trains shlichim, as a requirement it insists all candidates must have served in the Israeli army (IDF). Those targeting yougsters must "endeavors to impart Jewish heritage and Zionism, to encourage members of the community to visit Israel.. and representing Israel before the general public"[40]. The JCC sends youth delegations on propaganda trips to Israel where the reality of the occupation is hidden away[38]. It also has strong links to the military ("serving the needs of Jewish military personnel")[36].

In February 2002, Coca-Cola teamed up with "Friends of Israel" and National Hillel to cosponser a lecture given by the infamous zionist correspondent Linda Gradstein at the University of Minnesota.[50]

The Coca-Cola Company funds collaborative research projects between the University of Minnesota and Tel Aviv University through its support of "The Lieberman-Okinow Endowed Chair in Disease Resistance Breeding in Cereal Crops".[41]

Other nefarious activities

As with its support for Israel, Coca-Cola has a particularly rotten record right across the board, including:



1. Coca-Cola driking the world dry

Three litres of water are used to make one litre of Coca-Cola. In order to satisfy this need for vast amount of water, Coca-Cola is increasingly taking over control of aquifers in communities around the world. These vast subterranean chambers hold water resources collected over many hundreds of years. As such they the represent the heritage of entire communities, Coca-Cola is squantering it resulting in shortages of water in communities around the world.[57]

2. Double Standards - Coca-Cola Toxic in India

A Coca-Cola bought in India is not the same as one bought in the US or UK - in India it will contain over 30 times the EU limit for pesticides and include banned substances blamed for birth defects and cancer.[59]

3. Coca-Cola accused of killing workers in Colombia

Trade unions around the world have launched a boycott of Coca-Cola products, alleging that the company's locally owned bottlers in Colombia used illegal paramilitary death squads to intimidate, threaten and kill its workers.[60]

Additional Information and References:
[1] Coca Cola to examine Israeli technologies (2007-3-12)

Sources inform ''Globes'' that a delegation of Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) executives is due to visit Israel next week to examine Israeli technologies. The American Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast Region arranged the visit.

AICC Southeast Region Israel director Ilan Friedman said today that Coca Cola would use the visit to examine advanced technologies and concepts of Israeli companies in areas that affect all aspects of Coca Cola’s business. “The idea is to examine whether Israel has technologies suited to Coca Cola. The goal is to invest, acquire companies, sign strategic agreements with companies and funds, or merge with Israeli technology companies.”

Friedman added that the Coca Cola delegation would include executives and managers involved in investments and mergers, including executives from the company’s investment arm.

Coca Cola is interested in a great many companies with innovative technologies that touch on all aspects of its business. These fields include improved energy exploitation, packaging, water, improving financial and organizational procedures, taste and aroma substances, advanced preservatives, green fuels, warehousing, inventory management, and asset management.

Source: http://www.ivc-online.com/ivcWeeklyItem.asp?articleID=5484 Source Snapshot

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