Coca-Cola accused of insulting Russian Christians

Prosecutors in Russia are studying a complaint accusing Coca-Cola of insulting Orthodox Christian beliefs in an advertising campaign, reports ReligionAndSpirituality.com. They say the complaint was lodged by 440 residents of the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod earlier this month accusing Coca-Cola of blasphemy through using ads with images of Orthodox churches and crosses, some of which "were even put upside down," considered a symbol of Satanism. Coca-Cola officials say the ads are aimed at promoting Russia's cultural heritage.

The complaint was lodged Dec. 11, said Irina Monakhova, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in Nizhny Novgorod, about 250 miles south-east of Moscow. She said prosecutors were now investigating to determine whether there was any legal case to answer, BBC News online reported Friday.

The complainants - mostly Russian Orthodox Christians - allege "Coca-Cola uses all these Orthodox symbols in a blasphemous way by placing images of Coca-Cola bottles inside the pictures," the complaint said, according to Russia's Ria Novosti news agency. "Some images are deliberately turned upside down, including the crosses," it said.

Coca-Cola officials in their defense said the marketing approach was trying to promote Russia's cultural heritage.

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