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The Swedish division of Reporters Without Borders condemns the BANANAS!* lawsuit on their website and have launched an online petition. Sign their letter to the Dole headquarters!
We can not let Dole stop BANANAS!
To:
Jean-Christophe Juilliard, CEO / Directeur Général Europe de Dole
David DeLorenzo, President and CEO, Dole Food Company, Inc.
”The fruit company Dole has initiated a legal process against the Swedish journalist and film maker Fredrik Gertten and his company WG Film. The case is based on his documentary movie Bananas! where Gertten describes the legal process in a case where a group of workers accuse Dole for having used the toxic substance DBCP on its production areas in Nicaragua.
Dole wants to stop BANANAS!* from showing in cinemas and TV. They want to block the Gerttens website and give the director a life time muzzle talking about the movie and the fruit company.
We are worried by Dole´s behaviour which put in danger freedom of expression. A major company should respect the freedom of speech and the independence of journalists.”
Sincerely,
Sign the petition »
(www.petitiononline.com)
16 Comments
As I understand this issue, DOLE does not want to restrict Mr. Gertten from expressing his opinion; he can do so all day from any street corner in the world.
The lawsuit is to stop the airing of a documentary, supposedly noting the plight of hundreds of former banana plantation workers in Nicaragua that alledge to have been damaged by DOLE’s actions-the claims by a majority of these alledged workers has been found to be totally false and the persons that Mr. Gertten used as his sources of information found to be liars and thieves. Mr. Gertten deserves no protection from this group or anyone else-instead you should be sanctioning him for betraying the highest ideals of journalism-the search and exposure of truth.
T Saiz
Miami, Florida
“Liars and thieves,” mr. Saiz?
Those are very strong words. Where do you have that from? What makes you, a person who is very unlikely to have watched this documentary, come to this Web page to discredit it? What, mr. Saiz, is in it for you?
[...] Launch a BANANAS!* petition online or sign an existing one. Sign the Reporters Without Borders petition » [...]
I support Bananas!* and Reporters without Borders!
I support Banans!* and Reporters without Borders.
Lying, Mr Saiz? My father, a doctor in one of the countries Dole has been in has treated may workers for diseases whose cause can only come from use of pesticides!
Dole, on the other hand is trying to protect all those LearJets, Ferraris and US$200million yatchs that the big bosses have got for themselves without caring for their worker’s health! The poor bastards MUST use pesticides so they can buy another 100 Bugatti Veyrons….
I support Banans!* and Reporters without Borders.
I support the film “BANANAS”
You got my sympathy
Dole is shit, but lets not forget that almost every bananacompany is the same. Chiquita was called united fruit before and was the major aactor in the CIA orchestered 1954 coup with overthrew democraticaly elected Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala. We must work to deconstruct the multinational companies and give the chance for countrys to be truly democratic.
Dear mr.Saiz, reading your comment makes me wonder if you are sponsored by DOLE !?
Anyway, even if the documentary had a kinda “single perspective” theme, it´s importent for DOLE to play with “open books”.
They would have gained more benefit from the very first day if they had shown a more “human” side to this issue…
The actions that DOLE has taken, is very “americanized”, and sad to see that it still practised, despite that the evolution is ongoing..Will they ever learn?
I support you and I think you are a great person who has the courage to make a movie that is upsetting a multintional company…AND I truly wish you the best luck and success!!!!
I support BANANAS and “freedom of speech”
This is insane. Makes me not want to buy DOLE ANYTHING, ANYMORE. MORE! Where’s the concern for people!? The humanity.. wow.. I WANT and NEED to see this film.. wow.
BANANAS!!!
Justice for the workers!