Issue and opponent: Dow Chemical had not made any reparations to the people of Bhopal, India, after a gas leak disaster in 1984 that contaminated 500,000 and killed more than 3,800.
Dilemma Action: On the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, Andy Bichlbaum appeared on BBC World as Jude Finisterra after having been contacted through a hoax website designed by the Yes Men. He decided to use the limelight to claim that Dow was going to sell Union Carbide and use the $12 Billion for medical care.
Outcomes: Dow’s stock dropped over 4% in just over 20 minutes. After two hours, Dow released a statement denying the claims, which gave the hoax even greater coverage. Some were concerned that the hoax had given false hope to the people of Bhopal, but accounts suggest that after the hoax was revealed, they remained happy that the story had gotten coverage. There is evidence that after this, Dow hired a private intelligence firm Stratfor to monitor the Yes Men. The Yes Men have an ongoing climate action campaign.