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GlobalEyes

Your Weekly Window
in the Mirror of the World.
Spartacus R.
The editor of Global Africa Pocket News and author of "Violation" and "The Maat Mystery" takes another look at the world.

Whenever any African (Black) person is accused of injuring any European (White) person he or she is usually required to pay in blood and money but when an African person is injured by anyone, the culprit usually just walks away. Sometimes, when they are challenged, they may say "sorry", walk away and just carry on in the same old way, being more careful not to get caught next time.

Such is the way of Heineken, the multinational conglomerate. Their racist comments that there were too many "negroes" (sic) and the African director should show more "normal" people in the audience of a TV show which they sponsor in the UK, has caused a great deal of pain to the African community. Many of us, angered by this attack, feel that Heineken should demonstrate remorse and pay compensation. Yet, contemptuously, they insist that since they have apologized to one African individual who reported it to the European media, that was more than enough and we should be happy and satisfied. Are you satisfied with that? Are you happy?. These people have no respect for us - or themselves.

In their faxed reply to my column, Heineken refused point blank to entertain any idea of direct apology, dismissal of the culprit or compensation, saying: "Such an act will not help to increase racial equality". "Racial equality" wouldn't prevent them suing for damages if they were the injured party. I don't hear the Jews complaining about the compensatory settlement they receive from the Germans. But which self-respecting African person would want to be equal to any European? Do we really want to go that low?

Following the story in this column, (see Caribbean Times, No. 763, W. E. 13 January 1996, for background information), Global Africa People's Network (GAP Net) organized a public meeting at which a global boycott campaign was initiated and the Boycott Heineken Action Group (BHAG) was launched to co-ordinate some of the action and disseminate information. No boycott campaign can have any meaning or value unless there is a specific objective or definite demands made of the targeted entity. Three of the four demands suggested by me in the article were adopted by the meeting with the declaration that the boycott campaign will continue indefinitely until all three demands have been fully met. They are:

1) Heineken apologizes to the African community with prominent ads in the "Black" media,

2) dismisses immediately Justus P. Kos, those who agree with him and the person who hired him,

3) donates £1,000,000 compensation to African-owned and controlled charities and children's care organizations such as the Marcus Garvey Foundation, Ethiopian World Federation, etc.

Many individual Africans and some non-African sympathizers have already been boycotting Heineken since they first heard about the abuse. It is not enough to just stop buying and drinking Heineken, you should tell the shop why you have stopped buying it and tell your friends and colleagues why you have stopped drinking it.

If you have any Heineken in your house, don't pour it down the drain, take it back to the shop and get your money back or change it for something else that is not a Whitbread product. Why not Whitbread? Because Whitbread Breweries is the company which brews and distributes Heineken under licence in the UK. They also need to be boycotted. Call Whitbread (0171 606 4455) and tell them that you will not buy any of their products until they stop handling Heineken.

Any pub, off-license, company or establishment, which supports Heineken in any way, must also be targeted and boycotted until they stop assisting your enemy. Use the Internet, the post, the fax, to inform family, friends and associates in other countries to do the same with their local Heineken representative.

Heineken admit that Global Africa (Black people) constitute the majority of their world-wide consumers in 117 countries, yet they don't seem to be concerned that we might be offended. Obviously, they must believe we are too stupid to do anything about it or they hope that people who drink their beer will not be sober long enough to choose another brand, make any coherent statement of protest or take any decisive action.

But it is time to make an example of this abusive giant. They have to learn that we will no longer pay them to poison us both physically and mentally and accept their insults on top because we have the power to determine what happens to us. We have the power to destroy them, because we are the power. If we don't buy it, they can't sell it.

Your comments, criticisms, observations, reactions, etc. are welcome and will be greatly appreciated. All contributions, positive or negative, will be published, unless you request otherwise.