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Topic: Oslo hotel faces backlash over Cuba ban
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a lonely worker
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9893
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posted 05 January 2007 05:01 PM
US imperialism at its worst: quote: An Oslo hotel owned by the U.S.-based Hilton Hotel Corp. faced protests, a boycott and a police complaint this week after refusing to book rooms for a Cuban delegation because of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.The Cuban delegation, set to attend a travel fair in Oslo this month, planned to stay at the Scandic Edderkoppen Hotel in the city centre, as they had on five previous visits. However, the 140-hotel Scandic company was bought by Hilton in March, and the Cubans were informed in December that they would have to find another hotel due to the American boycott. The Anti-Racist Centre in Oslo filed a police complaint against the hotels, saying Norwegian law ensures that “no one can be denied access based on their citizenship or ethnic origin.” The Foreign Ministry said companies operating in Norway have to obey Norwegian law, regardless of their home base. It said other agencies would have to determine what laws apply in this case. In a release, Norway's most powerful labour union, the 830,000 member Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, demanded that “the government take steps so that companies like Scandic, which clearly abide by the United States' illegal boycott and blockade and not Norwegian law, are barred from doing business in Norway.” The state Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud said it would demand an explanation from Scandic and then decide whether to open a case against the company.
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From: Anywhere that annoys neo-lib tools | Registered: Jul 2005
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M. Spector
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8273
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posted 05 January 2007 06:06 PM
quote: Cuban delegations will get the same treatment at Scandic hotels in Sweden, a spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday."It is of course not nice to turn away guests, but given that this was a question of a Cuban delegation we who are part of an American hotels chain have to follow American laws," said Christina Karlegran, spokeswoman for Hilton in and Scandic in the Nordic region. Karlegran said that Scandic interpreted the Helms-Burton Act as only forcing them to turn away official Swedish delegations, not private individuals. "We do not turn away [ordinary] Cubans, although this question has never come up. This was an official trade delegation." Controversy was generated last year when a Cuban delegation was turned away from a Sheraton hotel in Mexico after pressure from the US government. Politicians and media protested that the United States was forcing its laws on other countries. The United States previously claimed that the law also applied to non-American companies, something which caused the European Union to take the question to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The most controversial elements of Helms-Burton have never been brought into force. Sweden and Cuba have full diplomatic and trading relations.
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From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005
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Ken Burch
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8346
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posted 08 January 2007 04:54 PM
quote: Originally posted by Cueball: You would be friggin naked man, if Canada applied such a policy in law.Sorry I forgot, you are from the States. You would be naked if the US applied such a policy in law. [ 08 January 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]
OR, to slightly paraphrase Randy Newman: "Beware, Beware, Beware, of the Naked Sven!"
From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005
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