On April Fool’s or April Fish Day in some countries, the Global Week of Action to #EndTaxHavens campaign debut was celebrated with creative and satirical actions.
In France, Attac activists and allies including Friends of the Earth imaginatively questioned many banks and multinational corporations about their tax practices, gaining high-level media coverage. Stunts included fishing games, a fake “bad guys police lineup” of accused bad corporate actors, and a tweetstorm aimed at McDonald’s (benefits aren’t meant to be “here or to go!”). Activists’ messages included: “Rendez l’argent!” (Give the money back!), “Fraudeur fiscal” (Tax evader), or simply “Pay your taxes.”
In Québec, Canada the whole afternoon was dedicated to #StopParadisFiscaux events in Montréal, with #TaxJustice champions braving the cold and snow to take part in a parade and in a historical-economic tour of the old city, where the sightseeing focused on “Who profits from tax havens?” ATTAC Québec’s President Claude Vaillancourt has published a blog in Huffington Post Québec, titled “Tax Havens: A battle to pursue”.
In Catalunya, several gatherings are organized for Monday, at the same time as others in Spain. Activists have circulated a viral photo petition to #EndTaxHavens, to announce the Global Week of Action and the many events in the region. A Congress hearing about whistleblowers took place in Madrid, and a second one about tax havens will occur in some days.
In the UK, ChristianAid orchestrated a campaign on Twitter, addressing the Foreign Office with the claim #TackleTaxHavens.
Panama 1yr on, where’s tax transparency? @ForeignOffice PUBLISH beneficial owners in Overseas Territories now #TackleTaxHavens #TaxJustice pic.twitter.com/uoeKf2OQ2C
— Christian Aid London (@CAidLondon) March 31, 2017
The Global Week of Action to #EndTaxHavens runs 1-7 April, 2017. Check out the global action map with dozens of events worldwide, the social media gallery, the campaign toolkit and fact sheets in three languages and more on the #EndTaxHavens English campaign page and #FueraParaísosFiscales Spanish campaign page. (You can also find a lot of French material here.)
