Here’s what you made possible with your donations and signatures

 
 

John,

This is what people power looks like. The Ekō movement is winning big – for animals, for people under occupation, and for the future of technology itself.

From shutting down dolphin torture tanks in Mexico, to forcing global shipping giants to reckon with apartheid, to protecting the future of AI from billionaire takeover, these wins show exactly what we can achieve when we rise up together.

Ending dolphin cruelty: Mexico passes the historic Mincho Law

A news article with a Spanish headline proclaiming the Mincho Law win, reading ‘Mincho Law approved, the initiative that protects dolphins and marine mammals in captivity.’ Below the headline is an image of three dolphins swimming side by side near the surface of clear blue ocean water, with sunlight reflecting off their bodies.

It started with a heartbreaking viral video. Mincho the dolphin was forced to perform tricks at a Barceló hotel in Mexico, until one day he slammed head-first onto the concrete and lay there, motionless. Public outrage exploded – and Ekō members took action.

Thousands came together to demand justice, calling for the immediate shutdown of this dolphin torture tank. And it worked. Thanks to pressure from Ekō members, and the work of partners on the ground, Mexican authorities closed it down for goodBut that was just the first step.

Together, with partner group Animal Heroes, we launched a campaign for something even bigger: a national law to end dolphin captivity forever. Ekō members flooded lawmakers with demands for freedom and dignity for dolphins across Mexico.

And now it’s official: Mexico has passed the Mincho Law!

This groundbreaking legislation bans dolphin shows, swim-with-dolphin programs, and the breeding of marine mammals in captivity. Every dolphin prison in the country will be forced to shut downand dolphins will finally be moved to sanctuaries where they can live out their lives in peace and safety.

This victory is for Mincho, and for every dolphin forced to perform for profit. Next up: working alongside our partners to ensure this historic new law is fully enforced, so no dolphin ever has to suffer in captivity again.

Challenging apartheid profiteers: Maersk cuts ties with Israeli settlements

A news article titled ‘Shipping giant Maersk divests from companies linked to Israeli settlements.’ The subheadline says the move follows a campaign accusing Maersk of links to Israel’s military and occupation of Palestinian lands. Below the headline is a photo of a large Maersk Line container ship loaded with multicolored shipping containers, sailing on the ocean under a clear blue sky.

Global shipping giant Maersk has just announced it will stop moving goods to and from Israel’s illegal settlements, a massive crack in the system propping up the theft of Palestinian land and racist apartheid.

This breakthrough came as the UN named Maersk in an expert report as part of the “economy of genocide”. Ekō members helped force their hand. Over one hundred thousand people joined this campaign and chipped in to power a hard-hitting shareholder resolution that exposed Maersk’s involvement to investors, employees, and the world.

Ekō members also sent thousands of emails, flooded Maersk’s social media with comments, and funded bold ads in Denmark’s second-biggest newspaper during their Annual General Meeting (AGM), making sure Maersk couldn’t hide from the truth: their ships are fueling genocide and occupation.

This is a massive step forward. But Maersk still has blood on its hands, continuing to ship military components for Israel’s deadly F-35 program, fueling the brutal bombardment that has already killed tens of thousands in Gaza. We won’t stop until Maersk cuts off every shipment that enables these war crimes 

Taking the UK to court: Suspending arms sales to Israel

Protesters hold a large red banner reading “STOP ARMING ISRAEL” outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where a legal case is being brought against the UK government’s arms sales to Israel.

Nearly 10,000 Ekō members came together to back a groundbreaking legal challenge against the UK government’s arms sales to Israel, raising £27,000 to fuel the legal teams at GLAN and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq.This people-powered funding drove forward the fight to end the UK’s complicity in war crimes.

In September 2024, as a direct result of this case, the UK government suspended around 30 arms licences to Israel, a major crack in the system enabling Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza.

While the court later ruled against halting exports of F-35 jet parts in June 2025, the fight forced unprecedented accountability. For the first time, the UK government was dragged into court to answer for its role in fueling violence against Palestinians, and it won’t be the last.

Here’s what the GLAN team shared about the impact of Ekō’s support:

“Thank you again to Ekō for supporting this crucial case that seeks to hold the UK accountable for complicity in Israel’s crimes. We couldn’t do it without supporters like you.”

Defending the future of technology: OpenAI pledges to keep its non-profit mission

A giant digital billboard in Times Square shows an image of Sam Altman depicted as a robotic Terminator figure, alongside text criticising his attempt to turn OpenAI into a for-profit company. The billboard is part of Ekō’s campaign demanding OpenAI stay true to its non-profit mission and keep AI in the public interest.

When Big Tech tried to hijack OpenAI for private profit, Ekō members joined together to defend the future of artificial intelligence from billionaire takeover.

Over 130,000 of us signed the petition, demanding OpenAI stay true to its founding promise. But we didn’t stop there.

Ekō members powered a bold, superhero-themed billboard campaign targeting the Attorneys General of California and Delaware, backed by flyers plastered right outside their offices. We lit up Times Square with a giant ad depicting Sam Altman as a corporate robot, and launched a digital ad blitz targeting OpenAI board members wherever they went.

Billboard trucks rolled straight to the homes and offices of key decision-makers, making it impossible to ignore the outcry. Influencers amplified the campaign to millions more, sending a clear message: AI must remain in the public interest, not billionaire hands

And it worked. In May, OpenAI announced it wouldn’t abandon its non-profit mission – a direct response to the wave of pressure we built together.

But we’re not taking their word for it just yet. The details still need to be nailed down, and we will keep fighting to make sure their non-profit mission isn’t just a PR promise, but a legally binding reality that protects the future of AI for all of us.

Image used by the Ekō movement on billboards and stunts, showing a comic-style graphic with superhero imagery. The title reads “A.G. Bonta: The People’s Hero Against For-Profit A.I.” The top panel shows intense eyes with a speech bubble saying, “You promised us A.I. for the public good.” The bottom panel shows a superhero flying with a fist raised amid flames, with another speech bubble saying, “You can’t just line your pockets at our expense!”

But wait, there’s more! Winning big campaigns means keeping the pressure on, again and again. And that’s exactly what the Ekō movement is doing, turning up the heat with fearless, creative tactics that corporations can’t ignore.

Jamming Meta’s inbox with GDPR objections

Thousands of Ekō members in the UK joined forces to flood Meta’s inbox with formal GDPR objections, demanding an end to creepy ads that track and target us without consent. This digital mass action hit just days after Meta settled a landmark legal case reaffirming our right to say “no” to direct marketing. Ekō members across Europe are filing formal complaints too. We’re not letting Meta off the hook – our data, our rights.

Exposing Microsoft’s war-profiting to its own employees

As part of our fight to end Microsoft’s role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Ekō took the truth straight to their workforce. We ran targeted LinkedIn ads that reached nearly 17,000 Microsoft employees – almost 10% of the entire company. Thousands more Ekō members piled on, flooding Microsoft executives with social media tags until they shut down comments at the company’s biggest annual conference. This bold action fuelled media headlines and supercharged worker protests demanding an end to these deadly deals.

Forcing Santander to the table with powerful video messages

Ekō members took on banking giant Santander for funding Amazon destruction. Teaming up with Stand.earth and WeMove Europe, members recorded powerful videos calling out Santander’s Global Head of Responsible Banking, demanding she support Indigenous women protecting the rainforest. The videos lit up social media, amplifying Amazon defenders’ voices and exposing Santander’s dirty financing to the world. The pressure was impossible to ignore. After months of silence, Santander finally agreed to meet with the president of Brazil’s Chapra nation.

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This is what we can achieve together. Every action that is taken, every petition signed, every dollar chipped in, fuels a movement that is unafraid to take on the world’s most powerful corporations.  Together, we’re proving that no matter how big the fight, we can win.

With deep appreciation,
Deborah and the team at Ekō


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Ekō is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers well and respect democracy. And we’re not afraid to stand up to them when they don’t.

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