Activists in India have held nationwide protests against multinational soft drink companies Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Reports said thousands of protesters had gathered near manufacturing plants of the two firms and demanded that they stop production.
Activists want the firms to leave India because they say their plants deplete ground water - claims the soft drinks giants both strenuously deny.
Spokesmen for the two firms dismissed the protests as low-key.
Ground water 'destroyed'
The demonstrations across India were organised by the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE)
Its representatives said that at least 100,000 people participated in the campaign and formed human chains to protest against the drinks giants.
Organisers said "Quit India" notices had been handed in at 45 plants.
"The factories must close down as they are not only guilty of uncertain standards in their drinks, but they are also depleting groundwater," one protester, Vinay Sagar, told the AFP news agency.
The protests were held to mark 1,000 days of opposition to a Coca-Cola manufacturing plant in the southern state of Kerala.
Coca-Cola suspended operations at the plant on the orders of the state government after villagers complained of acute water shortages in the area.
They claimed the company was releasing effluent into the underground water and using too much of it, leaving little for local people.
The matter is in the hands of the Kerala High Court.
'Politically motivated'
Coca-Cola and Pepsi account for more than 90% of the carbonated drinks market in India and together sell more than 500 million bottles every year.
Spokesmen for the two firms said only a handful of people had gathered at some of their plants.
Coca-Cola issued a statement saying that the company believed the protests were "politically, rather than environmentally motivated".
The statement rejected criticism of Coca Cola's water usage in India, saying the company had won acclaim for its approach to water management.
The company statement said that the protests took place in only five to six areas, and that dozens of people had participated, rather than hundreds of thousands.
Coca-Cola insists all its plants are safe and any toxins are within legal limits.
From the people who brought you Danzig bottled water, straight from the Peckham Spring.
"Prodesse Non Nocere." "It's all about popularity really, if your invisible friend that tells you to invade places is called Napoleon, you're a loony, if he's called Jesus then you're the president." "I'd drive more people insane, but I'd have to double back and pick them up first..." "All it takes for bullshit to thrive is for rational men to do nothing." - Kevin Farrell, B.A. Journalism. BOTM - EBC - Horseman - G&C - Vampire
Cool, let's get Coke and Pepsi to pack their shit and leave thousands jobless! I bet that would give the activists a huge fucking boner.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
Joe wrote:Cool, let's get Coke and Pepsi to pack their shit and leave thousands jobless! I bet that would give the activists a huge fucking boner.
And then it would be a case of the "Evil American Corporations" leaving the lands where the folks need jobs and employment. Boo to America!!!!
Sometimes the yanks just can't win.
More likely there will be a local alternative company just waiting to expand. I mean how hard is it to produce soft drink anyway?
Η ζωή, η ζωή εδω τελειώνει!
"Science is one cold-hearted bitch with a 14" strap-on" - Masuka 'Dexter'
"Angela is not the woman you think she is Gabriel, she's done terrible things"
"So have I, and I'm going to do them all to you." - Sylar to Arthur 'Heroes'
Screw the water quality, just get rid of Coke and Pepsi before your kids become fat, lazy fucks TOO.
[img=right]http://www.tallguyz.com/imagelib/chmeesig.jpg[/img]My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but
Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to
make guesses in front of a district attorney,
an assistant district attorney, and a stenographer.
Sam Spade, "The Maltese Falcon" Operation Freedom Fry
The really stipid part of all this is that the water used for soft drink manufacture is only a small part of that used for human consumption, let alone of the total water consumed by human civilization.
"Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology", yeah, right. Bullshit such as this is to the far left as "creation science" is to the far right: both use the "science" moniker as a smokescreen to promote their political agenda.
CotK <mew> | HAB | JL | MM | TTC | Cybertron
TAX THE CHURCHES! - Lord Zentei TTC Supreme Grand Prophet
And the LORD said, Let there be Bosons! Yea and let there be Bosoms too!
I'd rather be the great great grandson of a demon ninja than some jackass who grew potatos. -- Covenant
Dead cows don't fart. -- CJvR
...and I like strudel! -- Asuka
Chmee wrote:Screw the water quality, just get rid of Coke and Pepsi before your kids become fat, lazy fucks TOO.
You fuck with my coke(A-cola) supply and you and I are going to have some serious problems
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
-- Asuka
