I’m pretty sure these employees weren’t being forced to attend. So it would be more like you getting pissed off because some of your fellow employees decided to organize a get together at a bar to watch the World Cup. And, because you don’t like soccer, you decide nobody should be able to attend.
This is like when fast food places ask if you want to round your order up to the next dollar to donate to x cause.
Like, no, Taco Bell, I don’t want to pay you so you can turn around and get credit (both in terms of laundering their image, and for tax purposes) for my donation.