The giant beverage corporation Coca-Cola has been facing a wave of public outcry recently due to a post they shared in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM). While Coca-Cola subsequently removed the post in response to significant controversy, a new development has come to light.
On the afternoon of June 8th, Coca-Cola quietly deleted their previous language supporting BLM from their website. This occurred shortly after Ted Cruz, the Republican senator for Texas, called out the corporation for showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, while also continuing to post in support of Palestinian activist group Hamas.
“Notably, the only statement on the Coca-Cola website right now is one calling for ‘peace in the Middle East’ that was posted ‘in response to the conflict,'” Cruz said in a post on Twitter. “Yes, that’s a laudable goal. But why has Coke removed all statements of support for BLM?”
The post in question had initially stated: “We believe in, and have a deep commitment to, equality for all. That’s why we are joining the fight to end systemic racism and help build more inclusive & equitable communities.”
However, when posts showing solidarity to the Palestinian cause were promptly shared by Coca-Cola days after the original BLM post, a wave of public backlash ensued.
This prompted Coca-Cola to take the decision to completely scrub their language of support for BLM from their website, amid claims that the corporation has chosen to support specific causes selectively based on how popular or unfavored said causes may be.
Since deleting their BLM support language, Coca-Cola has yet to comment on the matter. However, the public outcry surrounding their decision shows no sign of ending soon, and further developments may be expected in the coming days.