Kentucky Fried terror

Thursday September 26, 2002 15:36

by Britkilla

A Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet on the loyalist Shankill Road in Belfast is at the center of a gathering controversy involving the investment of millions of dollars of U.S. pension funds.

From this week's Irish Echo newspaper:

Kentucky Fried terror

With UFF on the menu at Shankill outlet, pension funds think twice
By Jack Holland

A Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet on the loyalist Shankill Road in Belfast
is at the center of a gathering controversy involving the investment of
millions of dollars of U.S. pension funds.

The outlet is decorated by an Ulster Freedom Fighters' mural showing a
hooded gunman. A UFF slogan proclaims "Welcome to The UFF Heartland
Shankill Road. Quis Separabit." The slogan and the gunman's portrait appear under the image of Colonel Saunders, the company's founder and still its universally recognized logo. The UFF is a cover name for the Ulster Defense
Association, and has been responsible for the murders of hundreds of people, mainly Catholics. The Shankill is home to its most active unit, "C" company.

Officials in the New York City comptroller's office say that the city owns
1 million shares in KFC, worth about $30 million. New York State has about
1.2 million shares, worth about $35 million. The slogans and mural would
represent a violation of the MacBride Principles to which both New York
State and City are signatories, barring them from investing funds in
Northern Ireland companies where sectarian or political flags or slogans
are displayed.

It is believed that the state of Connecticut is also looking at its
financial relationship to the company. The state has 265,000 shares, worth
around $9 million.

This is the second time in recent months that KFC has been involved in a
controversy in Northern Ireland. Last June, an outlet in Antrim town was
the target of a Sinn Fein councilors' protest when it moved to replace its
Catholic workers following threats from loyalist paramilitaries. The
workers were told that they could chose between a relocation or being bought out after employees' names had appeared on death lists. The workers were
transferred. New York City's comptroller's office is currently looking into
that case as well.

Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is owned by Yum Brands, could also be found
in violation of Northern Ireland's own equality laws, which specify that the
workplace must be a politically neutral environment.

Pat Doherty, in the New York City Comptroller's office, said of the
loyalist mural and slogans: "It's an obvious violation of MacBride Principles. We are asking the company to look into this and report back to us. We are concerned about the company's reputation."

The mural on the Shankill Road outlet was painted in the summer of 2000.
It is represented in another mural, depicting an image of John Bull chasing
a rat with Gerry Adams's face. That mural is entitled "Spike And Jerry."

"We are looking into the matter," a spokeswoman for Yum Brands said this
week.