166 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
166 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
|
|
McLIBEL SUPPORT CAMPAIGN
|
|
|
|
c/o 5 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX. Tel/Fax 0171 713 1269
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1995 Supporters Mailout
|
|
|
|
Dear friends,
|
|
|
|
It's now 6 months since the trial began on June 28th last year.
|
|
It is now scheduled to continue until the end of 1995 (on course
|
|
for the longest libel trial in British history). It is proving to
|
|
be a detailed, complex, controversial case, and a highly
|
|
embarrassing experience for McDonald's.
|
|
|
|
TRIAL RESTARTS WED 11th JAN 2pm - Join the picket 1-3pm outside
|
|
the High Court, Strand WC2.
|
|
|
|
Part of the demonstration will be a caged battery chicken and a
|
|
chained McDonald's worker.
|
|
|
|
Putting The Corporation On Trial - So far the spotlight has been
|
|
on the junk food giant's business practices, in particular the
|
|
effects of packaging, diet and ill-health and advertising. Helen
|
|
and Dave have questioned 29 witnesses so far, 18 for McDonald's
|
|
(including 8 executives/dept heads) and 11 for the Defense (mainly
|
|
experts). Only 150 more witnesses to go! The next major issues
|
|
are food poisoning and animal welfare, followed by over 60
|
|
witnesses on McDonald's workers' rights and conditions.
|
|
McDonald's witnesses have tended to be evasive but many have made
|
|
admissions or ludicrous statements under questioning. The Defense
|
|
case seems to be going well.
|
|
|
|
Publicity Increases - This is an exhausting legal battle for Helen
|
|
and Dave, but it's an excellent opportunity to step up the
|
|
pressure and publicity against McDonald's at a time when the
|
|
public are interested and concerned about the issues in the case.
|
|
The first week of the trial was widely reported by the
|
|
establishment media, but coverage since has been patchy.
|
|
(However, the case was recently described in the Daily Telegraph
|
|
as 'the best free entertainment in London', and readers of The
|
|
Guardian last week nominated Helen and Dave for a 1994 'Role of
|
|
Honour'!) Many alternative and left-wing papers have covered the
|
|
trial, and there has been growing publicity abroad.
|
|
|
|
Support Spreads - A wide range of organizations and groups -
|
|
green, civil liberties, trades union, socialist, anarchist, animal
|
|
rights etc. - have agreed to back the campaign. But we mustn't
|
|
underestimate the power of McDonald's to swamp the country with
|
|
advertising and propaganda during and after the trial. For this
|
|
reason, it's essential TO CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE AND DISTRIBUTE THE
|
|
"What's Wrong With McDonald's" LEAFLETS WHATEVER THE VERDICT AT
|
|
THE END OF THE TRIAL (#12 per 1,000 from 0115 9585666) You can
|
|
help by getting it into group mailouts, conferences, marches and
|
|
meetings - as well as direct to the public on the streets.
|
|
|
|
Defying Corporate Censorship - As always, local protests continue,
|
|
including abroad. In October, following two successful Days of
|
|
Action earlier in the year, there was a month of protest - at
|
|
McDonald's HQ (returning a mountain of their litter), at their
|
|
first UK store (spoiling their 20th Anniversary celebrations), at
|
|
100 local stores nationally and in many countries worldwide (on
|
|
Anti-McDonald's Day/Oct 16th), as well as a 500-strong march
|
|
through London. There have been specific McLibel Support
|
|
Campaigns activities in Spain, Australia, USA, New Zealand,
|
|
Croatia and Italy.
|
|
|
|
Meanwhile, 3 major new initiatives were launched in 1994 (the
|
|
first two independently of the MSC):
|
|
|
|
- McDonald's Workers Support Group - a network providing advice
|
|
and encouraging solidarity among their workers - c/o 16a Bradbury
|
|
St, London N16 (Tel. 0171 249 8086).
|
|
|
|
- Kids Against Big Mac - all kids everywhere are encouraged to
|
|
set up their own local KABM groups - PO Box 287, London NW6.
|
|
|
|
- Operation 'Send-It-Back' - to collect and send back company
|
|
litter to their HQ or in protests at local stores - c/o 180
|
|
Mansfield Rd, Nottingham NG1 3HW (Tel. 0115 9585666).
|
|
|
|
McDonald's has not only failed to shut their critics up, they've
|
|
made everyone angrier still! This April is the Corporation's 40th
|
|
ANNIVERSARY. Let's make it a highly memorable occasion for them.
|
|
Please support and prepare for worldwide protests. PLEASE COPY
|
|
AND CIRCULATE THE FLYER OVERLEAF.
|
|
|
|
Every word in the available anti-McDonald's leaflet is true. We
|
|
must not tolerate the truth being silenced by censorship or legal
|
|
thuggery. In the face of mass defiance, McDonald's will be
|
|
helpless and their efforts will have totally backfired! Other
|
|
corporations will then get the message not to follow in their
|
|
footsteps, and it will be a victory for all movements for
|
|
justice.
|
|
|
|
Best wishes from all of us.
|
|
|
|
In solidarity,
|
|
McLibel Support Campaign
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
APPEAL APPEAL APPEAL The Campaign is almost out of funds. The
|
|
Defendants need thousands of pounds to pay the fares of their
|
|
witnesses (many from abroad). On top of this there are basic
|
|
photocopying and admin costs etc. We ask for collections,
|
|
standing orders, sponsor-a-witness, affiliations, benefits,
|
|
donations etc. (checks to: 'McLibel Support Campaign'). Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stop Press: 'Undercurrents' - alternative news video, including
|
|
special McLibel piece. #5.50 from us.
|
|
|
|
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST McDONALD'S
|
|
|
|
on the day of their 40th ANNIVERSARY
|
|
|
|
PROTEST AGAINST 40 YEARS
|
|
|
|
of Junk Food, and the Exploitation of People, Animals and the
|
|
Environment.
|
|
|
|
EASTER SATURDAY
|
|
|
|
APRIL 15th 1995
|
|
|
|
CELEBRATE 10 YEARS
|
|
|
|
of Coordinated, International Protests, and Resistance by Workers,
|
|
Consumers, and Opposition Movements.
|
|
|
|
On 15th April 1955, McDonald's opened their first store in Des
|
|
Plaines, Illinois, USA. Now they operate in over 70 countries and
|
|
have approximately 15,000 stores worldwide. They are constantly
|
|
expanding, particularly at the moment into Eastern Europe and the
|
|
Baltic States. McDonald's recently announced that they are to
|
|
open 50 more stores in the UK. The exploitation of people,
|
|
animals and the environment, which they are responsible for,
|
|
increases. But at the same time, opposition to McDonald's grows.
|
|
There is criticism and protest in every country in which they
|
|
operate.
|
|
|
|
On 15th April 1995, their 40th anniversary, let's make it clear
|
|
that there are many people who are angry about the devastation of
|
|
the Earth, deaths of billions of animals, exploitation of workers,
|
|
and advertising and hype. At the same time, we will be
|
|
celebrating 10 years of international protests against McDonald's
|
|
and all they stand for.
|
|
|
|
For a society based on
|
|
|
|
health, ecology, human and animal liberation, real food and real
|
|
life.
|
|
|
|
PICKET LOCAL McDONALD'S STORES EVERYWHERE
|
|
|
|
Let's make this an Anniversary to remember.
|
|
|
|
McLibel Support Campaign, 5 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX.
|
|
Tel/Fax 0171 713 1269
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|