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"As non US citizens, we cannot vote although US policies affect all of us in everyday life", declared Pol D'Huyvetter, a Boycott Bush and For Mother Earth campaigner in Belgium. "With the alternative US elections, people do not have to choose between G.W. Bush or John Kerry also known as Mr. Bush Light!" said D'Huyvetter. "People outside the US can now vote with their wallet for the end of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, for the Kyoto Protocol, for the disarmament of the 10,000+ weapons in the US nuclear arsenal, and for the end of U.S. support of Israel."
No Bush - No Kerry: Vote with your wallet!
Whether Bush or Kerry is elected on November 2nd, US multinationals and the United States' foreign policies will continue to fuel wars, environmental destruction and human-rights violations. For this reason, the Boycott Bush International Campaign is calling for an open ended boycott campaign which will continue after the US presidential elections. The Top 6 US multinationals to boycott are all big Bush donors since 1999 and have bad records with regards to the environment, peace issues and human rights. We have the consumer power so we will vote with our wallets! The campaign is being coordinated by For Mother Earth in Belgium, and is made up of 141 groups and organisations in 39 countries.
Bush donors
Last January, Boycott Bush campaigners and activists met during the World Social Forum, in Mumbai, India. They decided to target 6 US multinationals who are important Bush donors and who have global brands, easy to boycott in every region of the planet.
TOP 6 Bush donors 1999-2004
(4th Oct. 04; Source: http://www.opensecrets.org/)
1. Altria (ex-Philip Morris, Kraft Food) : $6.830.000
2. Exxon-Mobil (Esso) : $2.730.000
3. Chevron-Texaco: $2.420.000
4. PepsiCo: $1.940.000
5. Coca Cola co.: $1.040.000
6. McDonalds: $780.000
More info about the alternative elections in the Boycott Action Kit:
http://www.motherearth.org/USboycott/ftp/actkit/2nov_en.pdf
Press contact:
Pol D'Huyvetter
pol@motherearth.org
+32-9-242-87-52 (dir.)
+32-495-28-02-59 (mobile)
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Overview US Presidential Elections for non-US citizens
Global Boycott Bush Action Day, Tuesday November 2, 2004
Belgium
Brussel
In the European capital, the pacifist groups Mouvement Chrétien pour la paix and Rencontres pour la paix, with the group of solidarity with Columbia Ayni http://users.skynet.be/AYNI/ and the pacifist and environmental organization For Mother Earth http://www.motherearth.org/, hold a polling station downtown Place de la Monnaie from 10am until 4pm on November 2, 2004.
Press contacts:
Felipe Van Keirsbilck
u50fvk@acv-csc.be
Tel: +32 478 29 59 50
Pol D'Huyvetter mailto:pol@motherearht.org
Tel: +32 495 28 02 59
Fax: +32 9 242 87 51
Gent
The pacifist and environmental organization For Mother Earth http://www.motherearth.org/ organises alternative US presidential elections at the Korenmarkt in Gent, in front of the Mc Donald's restaurant, from 9am until 5pm. For Mother Earth is running the secretariat for the International Boycott Bush Campaign http://www.boycottbush.org/.
Press contact:
Pol D'Huyvetter mailto:pol@motherearht.org
Tel: +32 495 28 02 59
Fax: +32 9 242 87 51
Genappe
The Tof Théâtre organises an alternative polling station on November 2nd for the US Presidential Elections in Genappe, in the French-speaking part of Belgium. The Tof Théâtre is a theater professional company for children and young people.
Where? At the Tof théâtre / Le Monty, 58 rue de Charleroi, 1470 Genappe
When? on November 2, from 17pm until 22pm
Press contact:
Alain Moreau tof.theatre@skynet.be
Tel: +32 477 313 946
University of Liège
The administration of the University of Liège has given its permission for the Federation of Students to organize an alternative polling station within the university for the US Presidential Elections. The university will print the posters to advert the alternative elections and flyers to inform students about the international treaties, including the Kyoto Protocol, that the current US administration refuse to sign or ratify. The alternative elections take place on Thursday October 28th and Friday October 29th to allow students to vote before their holidays.
Press contact:
Caroline Lebeau
caroline.lebeau@tiscali.be
Tel : +32 498 68 74 32
Brazil
Curitiba
"Eleições dos Estados Unidos por Outro Mundo" or US Elections for Another World will be held in Curitiba. The action is organised by a group of students Unions. Boycotts are not very common in Brazil. Everyone drinks Coca Cola and very few abandoned McDonald's. This is a good moment to start a boycott campaign as the public opinion is engaged against the occupation in Iraq. The students have already prepared a list of the products to boycott and the substitutes, to email friends, and they hope with this action to disseminate the list - and the idea. They decided to include Unilever in the list of the boycott targets, as they own 30 of the most important brands we find in the markets. Unilever have, as well, fired the actress Whoopi Goldberg for speaking against Bush, and have a history on animals mistreatment for cosmetic research.
Press contact:
Marcel Retondario
starrkey@terra.com.br
Tel : +41 9997-8077
England
Bradford University
Students are circulating the Boycott Bush fliers http://www.boycottbush.org/ around Bradford University. They plan to hold alternative US Presidential Elections within their university.
Press contact:
Amy Beeton
A.F.Beeton@Bradford.ac.uk
University of London
Tuesday 2 November at 10 am a street polling station organized by students in London will be ready to receive the ethical consumers and curious people that will come to vote.
Press contact:
Olaya Garcia Alonso
olaya_india@yahoo.co.in
Tel : +44 79 44 91 31 71
+44 20 87 28 01 17 (evenings)
Finland
Oulu
A local group of Friends of the Earth Finland http://www.maanystavat.fi/ organizes Alternatives Elections at Oulu on Tuesday 2 November 2004 to vote againts or for the usa policy and to say yes to the boycott campaing. The polling station will be open at the center of oulu around 3-6 pm.
Press contact:
Sanna Eskonniemi, Vice-Chair of Friends of the Earth Finland
o3essa00@students.oamk.fi
France
In Brittany, two alternative polling stations may be held by student groups from the University of Rennes, and by the fair trade Beuk Kola producer, Kan ar bed. To be confirmed
Hungary
Budapest
The Hungarian Left Front www.baloldalifront.hu/ prepares alternative polling stations from 29th October to 2nd November, at different points around Budapest including the exit of the tube stations at the East and West train stations. A lot of people pass this point every day. 2 millions people are living in Budapest.
Press contact:
Peter
leftfront@freemail.hu
Tel: +36 204502804
Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek
In Kyrgyzstan, the Public Association "Civil Society Against Corruption" have spread the call in Central Asia to organize alternative US presidential elections on Tuesday November 2nd, 2004. They also take the opportunity to organise their own alternative elections in their country to express their feeling and thoughts regarding US policy, since it has an integral part in their life. They have translated the non-us ballot from http://www.boycottbush.org/ into Russian and have printed "official" ballot papers and posters. They will open “real” polling stations near Central Market ZUM and at 4 main universities in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek:
1. American University-Central Asia,
2. Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University,
3. Kyrgyz State National University,
4. Bishkek Humanitarian University.
They will start their actions in the four universities from 9am till 2pm. Then from 4pm till 7pm, they will held a polling station at the central market place, where there will be a lot of people. They are looking forward to give a press conference after the elections to unveil the results of the alternative elections.
Press contact :
Almaz Urbaev
almazchik@rambler.ru
Spain
Córdoba
In Córdoba, the Green Party plan to do a street action on November 2nd with the ballot papers for the alternative US elections for non-US citizens. They will be joined by other political parties and organisations. They want to take the opportunity to be on the street with the message of the Boycott Bush campaign, and to ask the US government to comply with international treaties.
Press contact:
Valle Lopez-Tello
valle@softhome.net
Mallorca
The Fair Trade NGO Finestra al Sud http://www.finestralsud.org/, based in Inca, Mallorca,held alternative US elections on Saturday, 30th October, in a street party where they celebrated their 5th anniversary. 63 people voted in the afternoon and in the evening at their polling station. They announced the results at the end of the party:
1 person voted for G.W. Bush and 20 people voted for J. Kerry
2 people voted blank
40 people voted for other candidates such as Ralph Nader, Michael Moore and even Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe, the R.E.M. singer.
Every single person voted for the US to stay out of Iraq, ratify the Kyoto Protocol, find a 2-state solution for Israel and Palestine, acknowledge the authority of the International Penal Court and stop imposing GMOs.
Press contact:
Mercedes Lopez
lopez_mercedes@hotmail.com
Barcelona
The Catalan boycott group Boicot Preventivo http://www.boicotpreventivo.org/ will hold alternative US presidential elections in Barcelona.
Press contact:
David Llistar
david.llistar@debtwatch.org | 
