Protestors take battle to Coca-Cola museum

The New World of Coke museum opened in Atlanta in May this year with the promise to visitors to 'discover the secret formula to happiness within', the company officials would not have expected it to become the target of protestors.

But that's exactly what happened on June 30, when over a 100 men and women gathered at the museum to question the multinational's alleged human rights and environmental abuses.

Stringing a 20-foot banner that proclaimed 'Coca-Cola destroys lives, livelihoods, communities' across the front of the museum, speaker after speaker criticized the MNC's practices in India, Colombia and elsewhere in the world.

"The World of Coke museum is a fairytale land, and the real side of Coke is littered with abuses," said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, which organised the protest. "We are here to set the record straight."

Added Sanjay M G of the National Alliance of People's Movements, the largest coalition of grassroots movements in India: "The museum is a shameful attempt by Coca-Cola to hide its crimes."

The agitationists also delivered a large picture of a protest against Coca-Cola in India to be added as an exhibit to the museum.

Coca-Cola has been facing a tough time in India. It has been accused of creating severe water shortages and polluting the land and water around its bottling facilities in India. One of Coca-Cola's largest bottling plants in Kerala has remained closed since March 2004 due to community opposition.

The protests at the Atlanta museum came during the United States Social Forum, a gathering of mainly US-based social movements. Naturally, then, Coca-Cola was banned from most forum events thanks to the campaign.