Mexico indigenous group sees 'racism' in Coca-Cola ad

A Coca-Cola advertisement has caused a furor in Mexico as an indigenous group said Wednesday the images of young white people building a Christmas tree in its community had racist connotations.

Human rights organizations and members of the Mixe indigenous group called on the government's National Council to Prevent Discrimination to sanction the US soft drink company over the ad.

The ad shows the youths driving to the village of Totontepec, in southern Oaxaca state, bringing a cooler of Coca-Cola and building a Christmas tree made of the red-top bottles under the theme "Let's stay united."

"This type of ad promotes acts of discrimination and racism," said Elvira Pablo, who is Mixe and a member of Aser Litigio, a group that defends the rights of indigenous communities.

The ad, Pablo added, "promotes a rupture of the social fabric by trying to impose a consumer culture which is foreign to the communities."

Aser Litigio and other non-governmental organizations, including Consumer Power and the Friar Francisco de Vitoria Center, a human rights group, urged the authorities to take action because the ad reinforces "stereotypes that consider indigenous people as culturally and racially inferior."

Coca-Cola representatives did not return telephone calls seeking comment, but the ad was pulled from the company's social media accounts late Tuesday.