@RainbowSochi - Canadian Corporate Partners of the Sochi Olympics (CanTire, RBC, TheBay, Bell, CBC): Put a Rainbow Flag on the uniform of every Canadian athlete at Sochi
@RainbowSochi - Canadian Corporate Partners of the Sochi Olympics (CanTire, RBC, TheBay, Bell, CBC): Put a Rainbow Flag on the uniform of every Canadian athlete at Sochi
The Issue
If you have 30 seconds to support human rights, sign this petition calling for a rainbow flag to be part of the uniform of every athlete, coach, and official representing Canada at the Sochi Olympics.
But if you can spare 3 minutes, you can have a much much greater impact. Five Canadian companies sponsoring the Winter Games hold the power to make @RainbowSochi happen. Write to each of them. Say that you want them to show their support for human rights. Say that you - as a customer, a member of their audience, a employee, an investor - want them to demand that Canadians visibly oppose the oppressive anti-gay laws recently enacted in Russia. Tell them that you want Canadian values to be visible every time a Canadian athlete competes, every time a Canadian wins a medal.
This isn't the first time that the Olympic Games have been held shortly after the host country enacted oppressive laws against a marginalized group.
In 1935, Hitler passed the anti-semitic Nuremberg laws.
In 1936, Berlin hosted the Olympics to promote the "glory" of the Third Reich, the superiority of the Aryan "master race". To the shame of the world, the Nazi games went ahead as if nothing was amiss.
What would have happened if all the athletes from even one country had worn a Star of David or a triangle on their uniforms? What if a half dozen countries had protested for human rights in this silent but powerfully visible way?
Sochi 2014 is our generation's Berlin 1936. To our shame, we raised no protest then. This time, let us wear our principles visibly on our sleeves, on the sleeves of all our representatives at Sochi, as proudly as we celebrate the skill and determination of our athletes.
Here are the email addresses for the Presidents and Board Chairs of the five major Canadian corporate sponsors for the Sochi games. Tell them that you want their companies to thrive, but not if it is at the expense of abandonning basic human rights.
Your opinion does matter to them, so send an email to the leaders of each company that you have a relationship with as a customer, audience member, employee, and/or investor.
If you are able, seek out the manager the next time that you're in the local branch, store, or offices of one these 5 companies, and express in person your support for @RainbowSochi.
And of course, sign this petition and comment using #RainbowSochi on twitter.
Canadian Tire - stephen.wetmore@cantire.com; maureen.sabia@cantire.com
Royal Bank - gordon.nixon@rbc.com; kathleen.taylor@rbc.com
Bell Canada - George.cope@bce.ca; thomas.oneill@bce.ca
Hudson's Bay - bonnie.brooks@hbc.com; richard.baker@hbc.com
The Issue
If you have 30 seconds to support human rights, sign this petition calling for a rainbow flag to be part of the uniform of every athlete, coach, and official representing Canada at the Sochi Olympics.
But if you can spare 3 minutes, you can have a much much greater impact. Five Canadian companies sponsoring the Winter Games hold the power to make @RainbowSochi happen. Write to each of them. Say that you want them to show their support for human rights. Say that you - as a customer, a member of their audience, a employee, an investor - want them to demand that Canadians visibly oppose the oppressive anti-gay laws recently enacted in Russia. Tell them that you want Canadian values to be visible every time a Canadian athlete competes, every time a Canadian wins a medal.
This isn't the first time that the Olympic Games have been held shortly after the host country enacted oppressive laws against a marginalized group.
In 1935, Hitler passed the anti-semitic Nuremberg laws.
In 1936, Berlin hosted the Olympics to promote the "glory" of the Third Reich, the superiority of the Aryan "master race". To the shame of the world, the Nazi games went ahead as if nothing was amiss.
What would have happened if all the athletes from even one country had worn a Star of David or a triangle on their uniforms? What if a half dozen countries had protested for human rights in this silent but powerfully visible way?
Sochi 2014 is our generation's Berlin 1936. To our shame, we raised no protest then. This time, let us wear our principles visibly on our sleeves, on the sleeves of all our representatives at Sochi, as proudly as we celebrate the skill and determination of our athletes.
Here are the email addresses for the Presidents and Board Chairs of the five major Canadian corporate sponsors for the Sochi games. Tell them that you want their companies to thrive, but not if it is at the expense of abandonning basic human rights.
Your opinion does matter to them, so send an email to the leaders of each company that you have a relationship with as a customer, audience member, employee, and/or investor.
If you are able, seek out the manager the next time that you're in the local branch, store, or offices of one these 5 companies, and express in person your support for @RainbowSochi.
And of course, sign this petition and comment using #RainbowSochi on twitter.
Canadian Tire - stephen.wetmore@cantire.com; maureen.sabia@cantire.com
Royal Bank - gordon.nixon@rbc.com; kathleen.taylor@rbc.com
Bell Canada - George.cope@bce.ca; thomas.oneill@bce.ca
Hudson's Bay - bonnie.brooks@hbc.com; richard.baker@hbc.com
Petition Closed
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Petition created on October 19, 2013