DENVER—A group of about 25 activists called on Olympic sponsor Coca-Cola on Friday to speak out against the genocide in Darfur, using its leverage with the Chinese government leading up to the Summer Games.
The protest outside Coke’s Front Range bottling plant was part of a nationwide effort—headlined by actress Mia Farrow—to call attention to the killings in Sudan, which supplies China with about two-thirds of its oil. Similar demonstrations were planned in more than 10 cities targeting three other Olympic sponsors—General Electric, Swatch and Volkswagen—because advocates don’t think they’ve done enough to oppose the genocide.
The protesters in Denver included House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, a husband and wife who fled Darfur in 2004 and members of the Jewish and Armenian communities.
“They care about competition and games. They care just about fun,” said Omhagain Dayeen, a former art history professor who fled Darfur and settled with her family in Lakewood. She was dressed in a traditional brown-and-white toap, a sari-like dress which swept up to cover her head.
Coca-Cola countered that it has already committed to spending $5 million in Sudan, mostly on water projects. But protesters said humanitarian efforts aren’t enough and that, given China’s focus on the Olympics, now is the time to pressure it to use its influence on Sudan.
Roz Duman, the founder of the Colorado Coalition For Genocide Awareness and Action, said Olympic sponsors could start by writing letters to the United Nations criticizing what is happening in Sudan. She said political pressure could lead to more peacekeepers being allowed into Sudan and a peace treaty.
Dayeen and Duman, a former staffer for Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, both spoke at the peaceful rally on the sidewalk outside the plant along a busy street in a mixed industrial and residential area outside downtown. Protesters held signs that said “There’s blood on the Olympic rings” and “Hey Coke, you can’t hide. Help us stop this genocide” and got occasional honks from passing cars and trucks.
There were also two protesters upset about China’s treatment of supporters of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that is banned there.
Two police cars watched the protest from across the street where construction workers were installing a new water line. The rally caught the attention of 33-year-old Francisco Rodriguez, who picked up a flyer from one of the protesters.
The native of Mexico said he closely follows international news, from the genocide in Darfur to crackdowns against protesters, including monks, in Tibet, and thinks something should be done to stop the killing in Darfur. But he said people shouldn’t boycott Coca-Cola because they provide jobs to Americans.
“Everyone is involved with everyone in the world,” said Rodriquez, who had a towel under his baseball hat to protect his neck from the hot sun.
Technically, the plant is owned by Coca-Cola Enterprises, which makes and distributes Coke products, and not Coca-Cola Co. which is the Olympic sponsor. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola issued a statement saying that the main organizer of the national protests—New York-based Dream for Darfur—hasn’t done anything to ease the suffering of anyone in Darfur. In contrast, the company said it is focusing on bringing clean water to people displaced by fighting and building new water and sanitation projects that will allow people to return home.
“The role of clean water in starting the conflict has been often overlooked. In fact, water is one of the conflicts underlying causes,” spokesman Petro Kacur said in an e-mail. He also said the company was working with other groups, such as the United Nations Global Compact, on long term solutions.
Protest organizers aren’t calling for people to boycott products made by the Olympic sponsors. But unless the companies take a more public position against the genocide, they want Olympic viewers to switch off their commercials during the games and instead tune into Web casts by Farrow from Sudan.
Dayeen, a busy mother of two, said she won’t be tuning in, but not just for political reasons.
“No. I just study English. No time for TV,” she said.
