Coca-Cola quietly deletes language supporting BLM after Ted Cruz calls out pro-Hamas post
Although the Coca-Cola company has since deleted language in its social media posts that showed support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, the beverage leader had previously said that “we stand in solidarity with our Black and African American communities and allies.” This post followed Ted Cruz, a US Senator, calling the company out for a tweet that appeared to show support for the Hamas movement. Cruz’s tweet read: “Really @CocaCola? Partnering with an organization that celebrates mods that murder gays and Jews? Outrageous. #BoycottCocaCola.”
As news of the pro-Hamas tweet began to spread, Coca-Cola took to Twitter to clarify that it had nothing to do with the message by saying that “Coca-Cola has no ties to any organizations that support any form of hate or espouse any form of discrimination. We are closely monitoring this situation.”
However, the language that showed support for the BLM movement was taken down after Cruz called out the company for appearing to align itself with Hamas. Coke went further and stated that the post was “inadvertently communicated” and that they would take “extra precaution” to make sure that a similar situation would not occur in the future.
The lack of response from Coca-Cola in staying as committed to its original statement of standing in solidarity with Black and African American communities is indicative of a larger issue in corporate culture. Despite voices of solidarity with marginalized communities rising, there is a need for those in power to actually take meaningful action in order to support those of different backgrounds.