CAUGHT RED HANDED! New article ties campaign of dirty tricks to Burger King…
Click here to listen to the Democracy Now radio report from 4/14/08 on this breaking story!
Read this scorching editorial from the Ft. Myers News-Press, "Burger King should wise up," 4/16/08, as well as this broader analysis from PR Watch of corporate espionage and the threat it poses to civil society, "A Bad Week for Corporate Spies," 4/14/08.
In a development sure to make waves in the growing Petition Campaign to End Slavery and Sweatshops in the Fields, a new article published in Sunday’s Ft. Myers News Press details a concerted campaign to infiltrate the Student/Farmworker Alliance, the CIW’s student and youth ally organization, by a corporate "security and investigative firm that advertises its ability to place ‘operatives’ in the ranks of target groups." The firm, Diplomatic Tactical Services, is out of Hollywood, Florida. The image above and the logo to the left are from the firm’s website. Here’s an excerpt from their site:
"Diplomatic Tactical Services Inc. Labor relations include:
Undercover Operations: Placing of an operative in the ranks is dangerous if not handled with the greatest care. We have properly trained operatives that can document illegal activity without creating liability."
The article also uncovers a widespread bogus blogger operation traced directly to Burger King headquarters. The fake blogger spread libelous, anonymous attacks on the CIW in readers forums and video comment sections across the internet. The attacks — which stopped cold following inquiries to top BK executives about the anonymous blogger — were remarkably similar to those that BK spokespeople had long ago employed openly before being obliged to retract them by the press (see "down the rabbit hole," 9/27/07). The article reports that the anonymous email address posting the comments can be traced directly back to Burger King corporation.
As this latest news breaks, the April 15th Senate hearing is just around the corner, and the petition campaign heads into the final stretch, with just two weeks to go before the delivery of signatures to BK headquarters on April 28th. Click here to sign the petition now.
Go to the petition site for more ideas and materials to bring the campaign to your community today!