Walt Disney Co. announced the suspension of all activities in Russia in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision was made as Disney continues to maintain a close relationship with China despite the CCP’s well-established record of human rights intrusions and atrocities.
On Thursday, Disney said it would suspend all business operations in Russia due to the armed conflict. “Given the ongoing offensive against Ukraine and the escalating humanitarian crisis, we are taking steps to suspend all other types of business in Russia,” the media giant said in a statement.
Among the operations that Disney will stop in Russia are Disney Cruise Line, National Geographic magazine and tours, content and product licensing, local content production, and linear channels. Disney said it will take some time for some businesses to shut down due to contractual obligations.
The company has already announced the cessation of film distribution in Russian cinemas, which all major Hollywood studios have done.
Disney continues to do business in China despite Beijing’s ongoing genocide of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet. The company operates theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong and continues to look for premiere dates in Chinese theaters.
A Uyghur community member holds a banner as he joins a demonstration calling for the British Parliament to vote to recognize China’s alleged persecution of the Muslim Uyghur minority as genocide and crimes against humanity in London, April 22, 2021. (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
In 1950, China invaded Tibet and forcibly imposed its rule on the Tibetan people. Since then, the CCP has been striving to eradicate religious practice in the predominantly Buddhist country.
At its annual shareholder meeting this week, Disney faced harsh criticism for its continued ties to China and CCP leaders.
Joe Schott, front right, president and general manager of Shanghai Disneyland, speaks at the opening ceremony after being closed due to the coronavirus in Shanghai, China, Monday, May 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Si Chen)
An outdoor ad for Disney’s Mulan aired March 13, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Activist investors from the Free Enterprise Project (FEP) — part of the National Law and Policy Center — have criticized Disney management for implementing race-based employee training, which the FEP says “covers up the CCP and its ongoing human rights atrocities.”
“Human resources departments have a great responsibility to promote social justice programs for employees, including critical race theory training, which is plentiful on corporate campuses just as it is on college campuses these days. Disney is at the forefront of this nonsense,” said Justin Danhof, Esq., executive vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research.
Disney’s decision to cease operations in Russia appears to be an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing controversy over the company’s response to Florida’s parental rights law in education.
CEO Bob Chapek initially refused to involve Disney in the debate over a law banning the teaching of sexuality and transgenderness to children in kindergarten through third grade. But under pressure from LGBTQ activists and the mainstream media, Capek relented and publicly denounced the legislation that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign.
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