July 26, 2016
Corporate Watchdog Slams Paris Mayor for City’s Partnership with Cement Manufacturer Lafarge Amidst Allegations the Company is Paying ISIS to Continue Operations in Syria
Nearly 40,000 Demand Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo Drop the French Industrial Giant as Corporate Partner of Annual Summer Paris-Plages Event for Striking Deal with Terrorist Group
Paris, France — Nearly 40,000 members of SumOfUs, an international corporate watchdog organization, are calling on Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to cut the City’s ties with industrial company Lafarge for allegedly paying ISIS to continue operating its cement plant in Jalabiya, Northern Syria. The French industrial giant is the corporate partner and sand provider of this year’s hugely popular Paris-Plages urban beach summer event, run by the office of the Mayor of Paris that creates temporary artificial beaches along the river Seine in the center of Paris and the Bassin de la Villette in the northeast of Paris.
According to an investigative report by Le Monde published last month, Lafarge entered into deals with armed groups in Syria, including the Islamic State, in order to protect its cement works in the country. The report reveals that between 2013 and 2014, Lafarge paid taxes to Islamic State group middlemen for safe passage for its equipment and employees in order to continue its business operations in Syria.
“Terrorists should never be business partners. It is beyond reprehensible for Lafarge to be cutting deals with ISIS just for profits’ sake,” said Eoin Dubsky, Campaign manager at SumOfUs. “By enriching the terrorist group’s coffers with payments to continue its operations in Syria, LaFarge is inadvertently supporting ISIS’ worldwide campaign of terror that has left scores killed, displaced and under siege in one of the worst humanitarian nightmares of our time.
“This is a scandalous partnership with the City of Paris that should have never happened. By partnering with Lafarge for this summer’s Paris-Plages event, the City of Paris is whitewashing the company’s obscene show of corporate greed that profits off the war and violence created by terrorists. It is high time to make Lafarge accountable for its support of terror, which is why nearly 40,000 SumOfUs members are calling on Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to cut ties with Lafarge once and for all. ”