03/09/2000   English German
  Edition # 20  
San Francisco, 03-09-2000

Benetton and the death penalty
Figure [1]: Death row inmates in Benetton advertisement

Angelika Currently, the advertising campaign of Italian textile company Benetton is a hot topic here. Benetton is known for shocking the world with extraordinary and provocative advertising campaigns. This time, photos of death row inmates in U.S. prisons are making their way around the globe. Benetton aims to draw attention to the issue of the death penalty in the United States. The focus is not on whether the inmates might be innocent, but on the general question of whether a state has the right to use death as a form of punishment. The prosecutor's office in the state of Missouri has already filed a lawsuit against Benetton, and the American department store chain "Sears" has decided to stop offering Benetton clothing in its stores.

I just hope that Benetton remains steadfast. Anyone who wants to view the photos can find them at www.benetton.com. Here, too, reference is made once again to the election campaign. No presidential candidate can "afford" to be against the death penalty if they want to win. George Bush, the Republican presidential candidate and governor (similar to our German Ministerpräsident) of the state of Texas, recently rejected the clemency request of a woman over 60, whose death sentence was therefore carried out. It really felt like he was using that for his campaign. By the way, Texas is also the state with the most executions in 1999. A very macabre and sad first place, although Bush certainly sees it differently. It really makes you anxious and worried when you consider that he is very likely to become the next President of the USA.

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