The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre in London published a link to my article "Volvo: Symbol of safety or human rights abuses?," and asked the company to respond. The article highlights the use of Volvo construction machinery by the Israeli military as a tool in the occupation, which is the reason behind recent calls for economic pressure on Volvo. Mr. M. Wikforss, Vice President of Media Relations & Corporate News of Volvo Group, wrote a letter in response, which was also published on the Resource Centre's website. In this article, I react to Volvo's arguments.
In an email accompanying the letter to the Resource Centre, Wikforss clarifies that Volvo Cars and Volvo Group are not part of the same company. Volvo Cars used to be part of the Volvo Group but was sold in 1999 to the Ford Motor Company. Volvo Group consists of nine different business areas, including Volvo Trucks and Volvo Construction Equipment. According to Wikforss, Volvo Construction Equipment is the manufacturer of the piece of equipment seen in the photo published in the article.
Electronic Intifada