Glasgow Film Theatre agrees to Unite Hospitality’s demands to drop Coca-Cola
Glasgow Film Theatre agreed to remove Coca-Cola from its bar following pressure from Unite Hospitality, as part of the wider BDS movement. While campaigners welcome the decision, their open letter pushes for broader boycott commitments, including the removal of Barclays adverts and the endorsement of PACBI.
The press swarm the Glasgow Film Theatre on the opening night of the Glasgow Film Festival
By Samar Jamal | Photos by John Bowden and Stefan Krajcik
Following pressure from Unite Hospitality, the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) agreed to remove Coca-Cola products from its bar for the duration of the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), with promises to phase them out completely once existing stock runs out. The move marks a significant victory for workers advocating for Palestinian solidarity, though campaigners continue to push for broader commitments to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
In a statement published during the Glasgow Film Festival, the independent cinema said: “We decided to halt the sales before completion of our formal review as we identified the risk of potential confrontations that could impact the welfare and wellbeing of all staff and customers during the charity’s busiest time of year. Therefore, GFT has agreed to the temporary removal of Coca-Cola and Diet Coke until the end of the Glasgow Film Festival.
“We have also committed to, as soon as is practical after the conclusion of the festival, carrying out an ethical review of the products we use whilst the remaining stocks of Coca-Cola are used up. The purpose of this review is to further our goal of sourcing fair trade, locally-sourced or environmentally-friendly products wherever possible and practical.”
The statement was published two days into GFT’s film festival, which concluded on 9 March. The annual festival’s red carpet was attended by a number of celebrities including Scottish Actor James McAvoy who joined for a conversation on his work. As well as actors Jessica Lange and Ed Harris from Long Day’s Journey Into Night. The festival also hosted the world premier of Scottish documentary, Make it to Munich.
James McAvoy speaks to the press on the red carpet of the Glasgow Film Festival
On 28 February Unite Hospitality published a statement on X declaring that staff would refuse “to handle products from companies complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” The statement also criticised senior management for failing to heed repeated collective calls from their own workers to cut ties with companies such as Barclays and Coca-Cola.
This includes the sale of Coca Cola products, a move that is part of the larger BDS campaign which is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality which aims to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law.
The boycott of Coca-Cola is part of the wider BDS campaign, a Palestinian-led movement advocating for freedom, justice, and equality by pressuring Israel to comply with international law. While Coca-Cola has been on the BDS list for some time, at the end of 2024, it was moved to high priority. The BDS website cites the reason for this is because of Coca-Cola’s operations in the Atarot Settlement Industrial Zone and its subsidiary, Tabor Winery, which produces wine using grapes sourced from occupied West Bank and Syrian Golan settlements.
The webpage also states: “The International Court of Justice affirmed in July 2024 that Israel’s entire occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is illegal, as are all Israeli settlements built on occupied land. As Israeli settlements – on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land – are considered war crimes under international law, Coke is complicit in a war crime.”
Govanhill Apartheid Free Zone, a group campaigning for the boycott of products on the BDS list, from local shops and supermarkets said:
Unite Hospitality responded positively to the decision, stating on X: “As Unite members at the GFT, we celebrate this decision and will continue to encourage the cinema in this positive direction.
"Govanhill Apartheid Free Zone organisers stand in solidarity with GFT workers who won the removal of Coca-Cola from the theatre. Workers in Govanhill can take heart from the willingness of workers across the city to fight together for compliance with BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) in their workplaces.
“We believe that the removal of Coca-Cola sends a clear message to those companies that continue to profit from genocide, and we hope this act will encourage similar venues to take a stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. “
While GFT’s decision has been welcomed, it only addresses part of a broader set of demands. In an open letter to the cinema, the hospitality union called for:
The removal of Barclays adverts that play before certain film screenings.
An endorsement of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
The development and implementation of a wider BDS policy across GFT’s commercial activities, ensuring that the products of complicit Israeli companies and BDS priority targets are excluded from hospitality and advertising.
In response to the wider boycott of companies, Glasgow Film Theatre said their Board of Trustees is still reviewing the decision, in line with their legal and charitable obligations.
The cinema added: “Glasgow Film is a not-for-profit educational charity committed to delivering its mission of Cinema For All. We understand the significance of the issues raised and the depth of feeling raised by members of our communities.”
Meanwhile, Art Workers for Palestine, a Scotland wide group of workers advocating for Palestinian liberation co-published a post providing more information on what the Scottish Charity regulator (OSCR) has stated the legal actions and statements Scottish charities can make in relation to political matters.
We have attempted to contact GFT for comment.
