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Subject:
Don't Sabotage Turkey's Tobacco Advertising Ban! Mr. Bernie
Ecclestone Dear Mr. Ecclestone, The Turkish Automobile Federation has applied to host a Formula One World Championship in Turkey. There is concern that if Turkey is chosen, Formula One will lobby to dismantle the country's tobacco advertising ban. This concern is not unfounded. On September 1, 2002, you warned that Belgium could lose its Spa Grand Prix, unless the country backs down on its tobacco advertising ban (due to come into effect August 1, 2002). Reuters quoted you having said that you "would give serious thought" to dropping the race from the calendar -- a race that you called "world champion Michael Schumacher's favorite." Threats such as this show how low Formula One will go on behalf of murderous corporate sponsors. In effect, you have asked a country to choose between killing its citizens or losing Formula One. In doing so, you have shown that your true loyalty is to Big Tobacco, not to the well-being of your fans, global public health, or the basic principles of democracy, whereby elected representatives of the people -- not corporate special interests -- decide the destiny of their country. Formula One has pledged to end tobacco sponsorship by 2006, but apparently you believe that the pledge gives you license to undermine public health and democracy until then! It is high time for Formula One break its long, incestuous relationship with Big Tobacco, rather than wait four more long years to do the right thing. At very least, I call on you to put an immediate end to bullying countries into weakening their tobacco control laws on your and Big Tobacco's behalf. A country's level of commitment to protecting its citizens from the marketing and PR of predatory tobacco companies should not be a factor in decisions regarding the location of future Formula One races. It is vital that Formula One help promote public health in Turkey -- not the Merchants of Death. I join many others around the world in demanding that you issue an official public statement to confirm that any future Formula One races in Turkey respect the country's 1996 ban on tobacco advertising AND DO NOT CARRY ANY FORM OF TOBACCO ADVERTISING. Show us that you put the health of your fans over the health of your bank account! [NAME] |