The Swedish cider producer Kopparberg has announced that it will be pulling advertisements from the recently launched ‘anti-woke’ GB News after left-wing activists compiled a list of the network’s advertisers to boycott.
Following the initial broadcast of GB News by former BBC presenter Andrew Neil, leftists began a Twitter campaign to target their advertisers.
On Monday, the Twitter user Lloyd Hardy compiled a list of GB News advertisers including Kellogs, Starbucks, Google, Benadryl, and Kopparberg, among others.
Hardy said that the companies must “stop funding hate [and] propaganda, stop advertising or we stop buying,” pointing to the networks decision to interview Brexit leader Nigel Farage.
“Tell them we need #HopeNotHate, tell them they must stop IMMEDIATELY to make it right,” he urged his 11.9 thousand followers.
In response, the UK account for Kopparberg replied: “Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We want to make it clear to everyone that our ad ran on this channel without our knowledge or consent.
“Kopparberg is a drink for everyone and we have immediately suspended our ads from this channel pending further review of its content.”
Ironically, the Swedish brewer posted the same reply to a user dubbed the ‘Deplorable Bristolian’, who wrote: “This list of advertisers on GB News was helpfully compiled by far-left extremists who wish to censor what we watch.
“I’m sure all my friends and followers would like to RT to show their support for these organisations who support freedom of speech and a free press.”
The move by Kopparberg to succumb to the leftist online mob and pull their advertisements from the barely right-leaning network drew widespread condemnation on social media.
Former youth Brexit campaigner turned political commentator Darren Grimes said: “‘Kopparberg is a drink for everyone,’ somewhat contradicting yourself here like. Pathetic.”
Brexit’s Martin Daubney weighed in by calling for a boycott, saying that the “cowards at Kopparberg have caved to the cancel culture mob & pulled ads from GB News after targeted complaints.
“Time to boycott their sugar-packed ciders. Any brands that cower to the Twitterati deserves to pay the price.”
During the launch of the network on Sunday, GB News founder and lead anchor Andrew Neil specifically said that the network will seek to combat left-wing cancel culture.
“We will puncture the pomposity of our elites in politics, business, media, and academia and expose their growing promotion of cancel culture for the threat to free speech and democracy that it is,” Mr Neil said.
Despite widely publicised technical issues, the network has seen early success, beating out both the BBC News and Sky News in the ratings on Sunday.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka
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