The Russian oppositionists are trying to put pressure on foreign companies so that they refuse to cooperate with the NTV television company. The reason for this is “The Anatomy of a Protest” film. The RBC Daily writes that in an appeal that they sent to Russian and foreign business offices they ask to stop placing advertising materials on the TV channel and thus not to fund “the politically motivated persecution.” In addition, the opposition members have threatened to launch a large-scale campaign with a call to boycott the products of companies that continue to advertise themselves on NTV.
The White Ribbon and the Moscow Civil Forum opposition movements have launched a campaign of pressure on Western advertising spenders on NTV. White Ribbon activist Alexei Blindul told the RBC Daily that on Monday, the appeal to the advertisers was sent to the Russian and international offices of Mars, L'Oreal, Nestle, Ferrero, Coca-Cola, as well as posted on opposition websites. Blindul noted that the addresses were chosen based on the analysis of the TV channel’s advertising flow from which it is clear that these five corporations are among the major partners of NTV.
On Monday, pickets will be staged near the Moscow offices of the above companies, it is also planned to issue the campaign’s promotional stickers. The opposition forces are pinning the main hope on the actions abroad. Negotiations are currently underway with emigrants from Russia on their support in the West where the headquarters of these corporations are located.
After the first “Anatomy of a Protest” film a similar action was organised on the Internet: there was the collection of signatures to all advertisers of NTV asking them to break the relationship with the television channel. Then this appeal was to no avail.
The NTV press service said that the TV channel does not know about the initiative of the opposition and does not intend to comment on it. Russian representatives of the advertisers are also in no hurry to speak.