Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting in Seattle has become a magnet for activists and critics, but one protest this year went to new heights, literally: A women’s advocacy group flew a plane over the event this morning with a banner reading, “Shareholders to Amazon: #DumpTrump.”
The plane was commissioned by a group called UltraViolet Action, which is calling on Amazon to stop selling Donald Trump’s line of menswear and other Trump products on its site. The group says its campaign is supported by 1,500 Amazon shareholders and 5,000 Amazon Prime members.
UltraViolet Action points to examples of racism, sexism and bigotry from Trump, and notes that other brands including Serta and Macy’s have stopped selling Trump merchandise.
“Amazon.com should want to distance themselves from this hateful rhetoric, but instead, they’re profiting off his brand,” said Karin Roland of UltraViolet Action, in a statement released by the group. “Jeff Bezos needs to listen to his customers and shareholders and take steps to ensure that Amazon doesn’t profit off of Trump.”
Bezos is by no means friendly with Trump. The presumptive Republican presidential candidate has repeatedly criticized the Amazon CEO, saying that Bezos is using his ownership of the Washington Post as a political tool to keep regulators and lawmakers from pursuing Amazon over antitrust and tax issues. Speaking on Fox News last week, Trump asserted that the Washington Post is digging up dirt on him to further Bezos’ political objectives.
The first time Trump raised these issues, Bezos had a classic reply, launching a tongue-in-cheek campaign on Twitter to #sendDonaldtospace in a rocket from Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture. However, Amazon has shown no signs that it plans to drop Donald Trump merchandise from its site.
Amazon’s annual meeting has been picketed in years past by a variety of groups, including advocates for affordable housing and workers’ rights, and opponents of foie gras products.
Items on the agenda for the Amazon meeting this morning include a resolution from the group SumOfUs.org, calling on Amazon to perform a human rights risk assessment to address what it describes as worker abuses in its supply chain. The company’s board cites existing protections and monitoring activities and recommends that shareholders vote against the resolution.
Another shareholder proposal, from Calvert Investment Management, calls on the company to issue a “sustainability report describing the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and goals, including greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals.” Amazon’s board also recommends a vote against this resolution, citing its existing efforts and saying, “We regularly consider environmental, social, and governance issues in our business and continue to develop and improve our sustainability practices.”
And finally, in a recurring proposal, Newground Social Investment calls on the company to issue a regular, detailed report on its political contributions and expenditures. Amazon’s board recommends that shareholders vote against this proposal, as well, citing the company’s existing annual political expenditures report.
Stay tuned for more: GeekWire reporters will be covering the Amazon shareholders meeting in Seattle both inside and outside the event this morning.
