A group of protesters camaigners unfurled a 400m2 banner outside the headquarters of Red Bull in Salzburg, Austria. The banner features Russian President Vladimir Putin riding the company’s famous logo – a bull. The banner reads “RED BULL GIVES PUTIN WINGS.”
Unlike most large brands, Red Bull has refused to cut ties with Putin’s Russia – and is still on sale in supermarkets across the country.
The Ukraine Solidarity Project (USP) – a network of European and Ukrainian activists focused on using the power of boycotts to engage with global brands about their policies in Russia – coordinated attempts to protest companies around the world that trade in Russia. This is a challenge for global solidarity, because Putin’s Russia has been shown to be aggressive and anti-human rights.
It seems that many corporations aren’t happy with Russia’s business policies. Red Bull is one of them and the Yale School of Management has given it a failing grade for its Russia policy. Red Bull says it doesn’t plan to stop selling there, unlike its competitors such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
This week, a message from Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk (from the year 2022) was projected onto the side of Red Bull’s F1 racing HQ in the UK. In this two-minute appeal, the human rights defender delivered her plea to World Champion Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull headquarters is in Fuschl, near Salzburg. It also has a futuristic domed office and a lake. When campaigners from the USP group appeared on site, they hung out of a huge 20 by 20 meter banner.
The Ukraine Solidarity Project, in a statement, said:
It really matters that Red Bull is still on sale in Russia. It’s one of the world’s biggest brands and its decision to stick with Putin’s Russia is highly unusual. Companies who sell their products in Russia are paying taxes to the Kremlin and signaling that they’re comfortable with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They need to pull out. As things stand, Red Bull gives Putin wings.
Red Bull just emailed the USP to reiterate that it hasn’t pulled out of Russia, even though it suspended new marketing and investments.
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