Activists criticize Beijing Olympics sponsors over Darfur, plan protests

By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer  | via (uncensored) Yahoo!PHILIPPINES news
April 24, 2008

An activist group that wants peace in Darfur said Thursday it will organize protests against Beijing Olympics sponsors that it said are failing to use the Games to press China to help end fighting in the region.

Dream for Darfur said 16 companies including General Electric Co., Coca-Cola Co. and Microsoft Corp. showed "moral cowardice" and will be the target of protests. In a 61-page report, the group said Eastman Kodak Co., Adidas AG and McDonald's Corp. have taken adequate action and would not face protests.

With actress Mia Farrow as its spokeswoman, Dream for Darfur is the most prominent of a series of groups that are waging a public relations campaign to prod sponsors to lobby Beijing to pressure its ally Sudan to end the conflict.

"The majority of the 2008 Olympic corporate sponsors in this report have distinguished themselves for moral cowardice in the hopes of safe profitability," the report said.

Dream for Darfur said it also would protest at company headquarters and urge viewers to turn off commercials during the Games in August. It said the first demonstration will be this weekend against Coca-Cola but gave no other details.

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