File #: Res 0660-2003    Version: Name: Calling upon Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to refrain from advertising their credit card services on the website of the "National Alliance"
Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Committee: Committee on General Welfare
On agenda: 1/29/2003
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: Resolution calling upon Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to refrain from advertising their credit card services on the website of the "National Alliance," and from doing business with this organization, which is a well-known neo-Nazi group.
Sponsors: Tony Avella, Michael C. Nelson, Simcha Felder, Kendall Stewart, Christine C. Quinn, Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., Yvette D. Clarke, Leroy G. Comrie, Jr., James E. Davis, Lewis A. Fidler, James F. Gennaro, G. Oliver Koppell, John C. Liu, Margarita Lopez, Miguel Martinez, Hiram Monserrate, Madeline T. Provenzano, Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Philip Reed, Diana Reyna, James Sanders, Jr., Larry B. Seabrook, Helen Sears, Jose M. Serrano, Albert Vann, David I. Weprin, David Yassky, Robert Jackson, Gale A. Brewer, Bill De Blasio, Alan J. Gerson
Council Member Sponsors: 31
Attachments: 1. Committee Report, 2. Hearing Transcript, 3. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 4/9
Proposed Res. No. 660-A Title Resolution calling upon Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to refrain from advertising their credit card services on the website of the "National Alliance," and from doing business with this organization, which is a well-known neo-Nazi group. Body By Council Members Avella, Nelson, Felder, Stewart, Quinn, Addabbo, Clarke, Comrie, Davis, Fidler, Gennaro, Koppell, Liu, Lopez, Martinez, Monserrate, Provenzano, Recchia, Reed, Reyna, Sanders, Seabrook, Sears, Serrano, Vann, Weprin, Yassky, Jackson, Brewer and Gerson Whereas, The National Alliance is a neo-Nazi organization which has been recognized by the Anti-Defamation League as "the most dangerous organized hate group in America"; and Whereas, The National Alliance has established "one of the most technically sophisticated sites on the World Wide Web, exploiting the potential power of the Internet to showcase its racist and neo-Nazi ideology and peddle its wares"; and Whereas, The four major credit card companies in the United States-Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express advertise on this reprehensible website; each has its logo prominently placed in a banner advertisement directly above the "Book Catalogue" section on the home page of the National Alliance website; and Whereas, The actions of these four companies in allowing their services to be used on a website that disseminates propaganda are an outrage and cannot be allowed to continue unopposed; and Whereas, It is a moral imperative to voice opposition to abhorrent business practices such as these which give support, innocently or otherwise, to groups like the National Alliance which preach hate and violence to anyone who will listen; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to refrain from advertising their credit card services on the website of the "National Alliance," and from doing business with this organization, which is a well-known neo-Nazi group. WA:bg D-Res. 2003 LS#1663 1/17/03 |1013|