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| Outrage In Oslo: American-Owned Hotel Refuses To Lodge Cubans | |
| 2007-01-04 | |
| The Anti-racist Center, the Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombud (LDO) and the Oslo office of trade union confederation LO have issued strong reactions after a Cuban Tourism delegation were denied rooms at the Scandic Edderkoppen Hotel in Oslo. "Sorry, we're full. Here, have a complimentary herring." "LO Oslo demands that the government take the step of denying business activity to companies like Scandic, which clearly adhere to the USA's illegal boycott and blockade rather than the policy of the Norwegian authorities," LO said in a press release. The LO members and Castro's Tourist Board apparently speak the same language. At the same time, the Anti-racist Center filed a complaint with the police against the hotel, the managing director for the Hilton hotels and the Scandic chain in Norway. This charge is based on a law prohibiting the denial of services on the grounds of a person's citizenship or other ethnic reasons. Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombud Beate Gangsås will ask the hotel management at the Scandic Edderkoppen for an explanation. "We expect the hotel to account for itself. If this is not satisfactory the LDO will make a complaint," said LDO section leader Ann Helen Aarø, and said that their reasoning had to be based on Norwegian conditions. "There is nothing that guarantees any company with American owner interests to exclude the citizens of a country on the grounds that the USA boycotts that nation. We have to examine the rules that apply to business in Norway," Aarø said. And there's no business like Commie business.
A similar event occurred in Mexico City last year, when 16 Cubans were thrown out of an American-owned hotel while they were taking part in a meeting with American businessmen. The Cuban government called the episode an example of the American trade boycott infringing on the sovereignty of other nations. | |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #7 OK mrp. Follow the laws of the country or get your ass sued into bankruptcy court. Same end state. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-01-04 23:06 |
| #6 Follow the laws of the country you are doing business in or get out. That's a false choice, ed. If legal action is taken, Scandic can go to court like normal corporations do. If they lose, they pay. And life goes on. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-01-04 23:02 |
| #5 So how do the Anti-racist Center, the Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombud (LDO) and the Oslo office of trade union confederation LO feel about Minneapolis Cab drivers? |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2007-01-04 23:01 |
| #4 Follow the laws of the country you are doing business in or get out. How different is this from Somalis in Minneapolis refusing cab service to those carrying a bottle of wine? |
| Posted by: ed 2007-01-04 22:45 |
| #3 The thing that boggles my mind about this is the claims that the US boycott crushes the poor Cubans. Is it really true that the WHOLE FREAKIN' REST OF THE WORLD can't pick up the slack when we decline to deal with one pissant little country? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2007-01-04 15:18 |
| #2 "Our government says it's unlawful for us to deal with Cuba or Cubans. Don't like it? Talk to them." |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-01-04 15:01 |
| #1 But feel free to deny medical care to American citizens. /EU human rights commission |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-01-04 15:01 |