A few days before the start of the World Cup, Elkjøp withdrew as sponsor for TV 2. The electric chain decided that it would not be an active and visible sponsor during the tournament in Qatar.
This was confirmed to VG by Madeleine Schoen-Bergley, Communications Manager at Elkjøp Norge AS.
“We made continuous assessments in the process without coming to a conclusion, because we wanted to have a solution that took into account both our long-term partner TV 2 and our own values,” wrote Schoen Bergley in an email to VG.
This means that the company will maintain its investment in part of the planned advertising space, but Elkjøp will not market itself. This place has been awarded to AI.
– We’ve invited Ai to fill in these. This means that the AIs will be visible during the tournament on TV2, so that their message will be heard in a good way, writes Schoen Bergley.
– Human rights violations, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and bisexual people at risk of arrest and indictment – all this has been known for several years. Why does the cowboy react only now, three days before the water cycle begins?
“We chose to engage the AI during discussions about what was the right thing to do in the decision to sponsor a WC broadcast or not, and we had a long, good conversation with them,” writes Schoen Burghley.
Schoen Burghley says it was natural to speak to Amnesty – which has worked to expose poor working conditions and human rights abuses in Qatar – which have continued since the award of the World Cup in 2010. Amnesty is now working to ensure compensation. For migrant workers, through a compensation claim to FIFA and Qatar sent in May 2022.
– We will also use our own rooftops to show that we stand firm against human rights abuses. We previously sent an open letter to FIFA, expressing our expectation that FIFA would establish a migrant workers compensation fund, in line with Amnesty International’s demands, on a par with other official sponsors, Schoen Burghley writes and continues:
– As a market leader, we bear a great social responsibility, so we thought it was perfectly normal and not the least right that we offer Amnesty International our advertising space in order to get its message across about its important work in order to do justice to the many people who have been greatly affected by the abuses Human rights in Qatar.
Elkjøp recognizes that it firmly distances itself from the human rights abuses that have been exposed “and that it uses our voice to show our position, with migrant workers and their families, so that they receive the compensation they are entitled to,” she says.
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