A Florida jury on Monday found banana company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing the Colombian paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).
In this case, I can believe that Chiquita didn’t set out to finance the AUC, but was unfortunate in that their banana plantations fell into AUC-controlled territory, and therefore were extorted for protection money.
It’s like if I owned an Italian restaurant, the mafia comes in and extorts me for protection money, then the feds come and arrest me for financing the mafia. What was I supposed to do?
edit: I didn’t know about Chiquita. Thanks for the replies and info!
No, it’s like if you owned a massive chain of Italian restaurants that notoriously exploited people, and you were actively paying the mafia to intimidate your workers and to bust unions.
The judge saw through Chiquita’s ridiculous fabrication, I’m disappointed to see you parroting it here.
In this case, I can believe that Chiquita didn’t set out to finance the AUC, but was unfortunate in that their banana plantations fell into AUC-controlled territory, and therefore were extorted for protection money.It’s like if I owned an Italian restaurant, the mafia comes in and extorts me for protection money, then the feds come and arrest me for financing the mafia. What was I supposed to do?edit: I didn’t know about Chiquita. Thanks for the replies and info!
No, it’s like if you owned a massive chain of Italian restaurants that notoriously exploited people, and you were actively paying the mafia to intimidate your workers and to bust unions.
The judge saw through Chiquita’s ridiculous fabrication, I’m disappointed to see you parroting it here.
There is enough proof in the trials to show they were not unhappily contributing to paramilitary groups.
Chiquita / United Fruit have long been involved in oppressing and destabilizing south America for profit.
Chiquita has been bad for a long, long time. Even among the banana companies, they’re famously evil.
Not pay the thugs?
It’s a false analogy. Chiquita were paying the paramilitary to do its bidding.
Here is a more in-depth article.
Enjoy your burned out restaurant…edit: I retract my comment due to prior ignorance about Chiquita’s corporate behavior.