The North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Blog

Dear Supporters of KillerCoke,

There have been recent death threats against three SINALTRAINAL leaders who are Coca-Cola workers as well as social leaders, students, trade unionists, and human rights activists. These threats occurred as Colombia’s Vice-President Francisco Santos criticized unions and others that disparage the reputations of companies such as “Coca Cola, Nestle, and other private companies.”

Meanwhile, new evidence reveals strong ties to paramilitaries by the Colombian government. Both The Boston Globe and The Washington Post have published major articles reporting that “a powerful paramilitary commander is to appear in a special court Tuesday to account for crimes that include massacres and assassinations" and that “the Colombian government is under siege as evidence mounts of links between rightist death squads and dozens of officials loyal to [Colombia] President Álvaro Uribe.”

Please read and take the actions suggested below. Look for an embassy or consulate of Colombia in your own country that you can contact to express your concerns.

Furthermore, please contact your local and national Coca-Cola offices and express your concern for this situation. Urge Coke to publicly and strongly denounce the threats against these Coca-Cola workers who are also SINALTRAINAL leaders. In the United States and Canada, please call The Coca-Cola Co. at 1-800-GET-COKE to voice your protest.

The following is a plea for support in English and Spanish from Javier Correa, president of SINALTRAINAL, forwarded by Andy Higginbottom of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign in the UK and author of The Anti-Coke Manifesto .

On 14 December 2006, in the city of Barranquilla, a death threat communiqué was left at the residence of Euripides Yance, a Coca-Cola worker and member of the National Committee of SINALTRAINAL. The communiqué is entitled BLACK EAGLES [AGUILAS NEGRAS] and threatens various student, social and trade union leaders, giving them a week to leave the city. Amongst them are members and leaders of SINALTRAINAL and workers at Coca-Cola EURIPIDES YANCE, LIMBERTO CARRANZA, and CAMPO QUINTERO.

This death threat occurred just days after Colombia’s Vice-President Francisco Santos made a public declaration referring to what he called campaigns to discredit Coca-Cola, Nestlé and other private corporations and contended that they are pushed by “sectors of the extreme left, radicals infiltrated into trade union sectors that are generating absolutely absurd campaigns against the corporations.” These threats have occurred at the time that we are negotiating our demands with the Coca-Cola bottling plants in the Santanders [the region in which Barranquilla is situated]. We demand national government protection for the life of trade unionists, social leaders, students, defenders of human rights and an investigation into the facts to bring to justice [those making these threats].

Against Impunity SINALTRAINAL Demands Justice.

LUIS JAVIER CORREA SUAREZ
President
SINALTRAINAL

El día 14 de Diciembre de 2006, en la ciudad de Barranquilla, en la casa de habitación de Euripides Yance trabajador de Coca cola e integrante de la Junta Directiva Nacional de SINALTRAINAL fue dejado un comunicado titulado AGUILAS NEGRAS donde amenazan y dan plazo de una semana para que salgan de la ciudad varios dirigentes estudiantiles, sociales y sindicalistas, entre ellos, varios integrantes y dirigentes de SINALTRAINAL y trabajadores de Coca cola EURIPIDES YANCE, LIMBERTO CARRANZA, CAMPO QUINTERO.

Esta amenaza se presenta días después que el Vicepresidente de la Republica de Colombia Francisco Santos hiciera pública su declaración refiriéndose a las llamadas campañas de desprestigio contra Coca Cola, Nestlé y otras empresas privadas y afirmo que estos actos están siendo impulsados por “sectores de extrema izquierda, radicales infiltrados en sectores sindicales, que están generando campañas absolutamente absurdas contra las empresas”

Estas amenazas se presentar también en momentos en que estamos negociando pliego de peticiones con las embotelladoras de Coca Cola en los Santanderes. Exigimos del gobierno nacional protección para la vida de los sindicalistas, dirigentes sociales, estudiantes, defensores de derechos humanos e investigar los hechos y dar con los responsables materiales e intelectuales.

Contra la Impunidad SINALTRAINAL Clama Justicia.
LUIS JAVIER CORREA SUAREZ
Presidente
SINALTRAINAL

1) SEND YOUR E-MAILS TO:

Presidente de la República de Colombia:

Vicepresidente de la Republica de Colombia
Francisco Santos Fax: 00 57 1 337 1351
E-mail: fsantos@presidencia.gov.co

Programa Derechos Humanos Presidencia de la Republica
E-mail: ppdh@presidencia.gov.co

Colombia Solidarity Campaign in the UK adds:

Euripides Yance toured the UK in November and December 2005, striking all who met him with his warm heartedness, humility and calm determination.

In the UK, also send your e-mail to Colombian Embassy:
Email: mail@colombianembassy.co.uk with a copy to info@colombiasolidarity.org.uk

In the USA, write, phone, FAX or e-mail your protests today to the Colombian Ambassador in Washington, DC:

Sr. Luis Alberto Moreno
Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia
2118 Leroy Place NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Teléfono: +1 (202) 387 8338
Fax: +1 (202) 232 8643
E-mail: emwas@colombiaemb.org

2) EMERGENCY PICKET OF COLOMBIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON
(Sponsored by the Colombia Solidarity Campaign)

5pm-6pm Thursday 21st December
Colombian Embassy, 3 Hans Crescent, London SW1
(back of Harrods, nearest tube Knightsbridge)