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If you thought the worst thing about soft drinks is their contribution to obesity and tooth decay, have a look at a documentary called The Coca- Cola Case.
The film concerns human rights violations tied to Coke in such places as Colombia, India and Guatemala, with a particular focus on the murders of union organizers.
According to the movie, in Colombia there have been 470 killings of workers' leaders since 2002, murders that often undertaken by the paramilitary types who are paid by companies keen to keep the unions out. There have been 4,000 such killings since 1986, and only five of those cases have ever come to court.
With regard to Coca-Cola, the movie uses the example of Isidro Gil (and footage from his funeral) to begin making its case. Gil's brother, Martin, talks about the troubles that began as soon as the union was formed, and how his brother, a unionist at a bottling plant, was shot nine times in 1996.
The movie introduces American lawyers Daniel Kovalik and Terry Collingsworth and activist Ray Rogers, a powerhouse trio which worked with union leaders in several countries to launch a campaign against Coca-Cola. The goal was to get the corporate giant to take responsibility for various environmental and human rights crimes around the world.
Talk about David and Goliath.
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Collingsworth managed to move the showdown, legally speaking, to the United States, allowing Colombians to sue Coca-Cola in the U.S. for crimes committed elsewhere. The cases that were filed against Coca-Cola included such items as murder, abduction, kidnapping and torture. The Coca-Cola Case makes it clear that while these crusaders are making headway, it's still very difficult for Coke drinkers in first-world countries to grasp the level of violence and corruption involved in labour disputes elsewhere. Kids at the University of Chicago are shown parading stupid signs ("F--- Human Rights") when Ray Rogers comes to speak, because they don't want anything to stop their freedom to drink Coca-Cola. It's a different story after they've heard Rogers talk, maybe, but it's sadly obvious that the plight of Coca-Cola workers in faraway places is not uppermost in the minds of most North Americans.
The Coca-Cola Case follows the work of these men for about three years, and while they do eventually get Coca-Cola to the negotiating table, there's no real happy ending here. The Coca-Cola Case is a specific political and economic story for a specific audience.
The movie is playing at the Royal Cinema on College St.
liz.braun@sunmedia.ca