As long as the money keeps rolling

Thanks to MariadelMar for the link to this gem from 1986:

GM to Pull Out of South Africa : Cites Losses, Unwillingness of Regime to Dismantle Apartheid
http://articles.latimes.com/1986-10-21/news/mn-6561_1_anti-apartheid-group

"We have been disappointed in the pace of change in ending apartheid," GM Chairman Roger B. Smith said in a statement. "This slowness of progress in ending apartheid has contributed importantly to the imposition of sanctions and other actions by governments at all levels in the United States."

Oh, how noble of General Motors. Funny to read the end of the article, though:

"GM's withdrawal may not be total. Company spokesman George Schreck said GM's West German subsidiary, Adam Opel AG, and its Japanese affiliates, Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Suzuki Motor Co., will continue to supply key components to the new South African company that takes over GM's operations."

Opel Rekord 1986 - in South Africa

ISUZU 1986 - in South Africa

So basically General Motors stopped making the cars that weren't selling in Southern Africa, 'sold' their manufacturing operations in Port Elizabeth to a 'newly formed group of their South African Managers for an undisclosed amount'. And pretty much kept cashing in the South African middle class's money. But now they had the moral high ground.

It's a bit like Coca-Cola, who also 'pulled out' of South Africa under pressure from anti-Apartheid activists. They moved their manufacturing plants to Swaziland and used a new company, ABI, to distribute their products in South Africa.

What a joke. Just goes to show that big corporations care about money. Definitely not about human rights.

GM in Saudi Arabia:

So General Motors, if you really give a shit about human rights, how about pulling out of Saudi Arabia? 

http://sa-en.chevroletarabia.com/shopping-tools/locate-a-dealer.html

You know that large patch of sand in the Middle East where gay men are hanged from cranes, women are not allowed to drive and female rape victims are decapitated for the sin of being raped. And they've got a little thing called oil... maybe you know about that.

Oh, what did you say? Those guys with their oil money like to pay top dollar for your SUV's. Is that right? I thought so...