16th October 2001
17th Worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day
The 17th annual Worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day was on Tuesday October 16th [UN World Food Day]. Below are a selection of reports that we have been able to compile. Remember however, that any day is a good day to protest against the promotion of junk food, the unethical targeting of children, exploitation of workers, animal cruelty, damage to the environment and the global domination of corporations over our lives!
Reports from around the globe:
Australia
Adelaide
Customers were offered shit (in the form of vegan biscuits) at Mc Donalds in the Rundle Mall today as part of the international day of action.
A small group of people from the Adelaide-s11-AWOL group today offered Mcdonalds cutomers some free vegan cookies in the shape of shit.Some customers accepted them greatfully. Leaflets were handed out and a banner proclaiming 'Mc Garbage' was held up. McDonalds employee's soon came out to attempt to silence the educators. The Mall Manager was called who also tried to silence the group and soon two police appeared. Much discussion was had but the information dissemination contiued
for some time outside the front of the store.
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Brazil
Just to inform. I received the following attached image today (Oct 16th) about a Brazilian campaign to boycott Mc Donalds:
Mc Sad Day - August 11, 2001
In the next august 11 do not go to Mc Donalds due to their abusing/raising prices. Only one day without Mc could change a lot and show that the only clown is Ronald. Do your part. We count on you.
Lets see if its true! And boycott!! Everyday is a day to boycott Mc!
Taken from brazil indymedia: http://brasil.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=8633&group=webcast
Shows picture of group outside a Mcd's giving away food, holding a banner.
Sopao vegetariano popular contra o Mcdonalds - Anarchopunx,anarcofeministas e demais libert‡rios no inicio desse ato contra essa multinacional assassina.
Activists, soup kitchen, burning a golden arches flag, all good fun
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Canada
Ontario
October 16th anti-capitalist day of action [Not just about McDonald's] - From ontario.indymedia.org
Economic Disruption Works! We shut down the Financial District! Here is a quick report written immediately after we left > the streets around 11:30 am.
O16 Economic Disruption in Downtown Toronto a smashing success! Quick report by a member of the T2 Affinity Group
This morning (O16) thousands of anti-poverty, global justice, union, social justice, and First Nations activists converged in downtown Toronto and shut down its gigantic financial district. A series of snake marches maneuvered around blockades of riot police to shut down vehicular and pedistrian traffic in the district. By 8:00 am we learned that employers were encouraging people not to come to work today. We shut down the heart of Corporate Canada. By using the tactic of Economic Disruption we (probably) caused Canada' s financial elite to lose millions of dollars (2 billion dollars circulates through the financial distict every single day!).
This was an amazingly successful event. At 5:00 am thousands of activist met at Nathan Phillip's Square (City Hall) for breakfast, music, speeches and preparation. While a number of activists were pre-emptively arrested for wearing bandannas, gas masks and bike helmets, the massive police presence >failed to deter activists from assembling.
Around 6:00 am we were notified that riot police had surrounded the square and that we were effectively boxed-in. We were also notified that the large Montreal contingent (400 strong?) had been stopped and searched by the police en route to the square. After a number of good agitational speeches we took to the streets, but were immediately blocked by a huge wall of riot cops armed with rubber bullet guns, shields, battons, and riot gear. After an intense standoff the communications team informed us that they had discovered an escape route and we left the standoff and escaped from the square.
We re-assembled on one of the biggest streets in the downtown and began to march towards the financial district. We by-passed a number of police blockades and managed to turn onto a major street that led right into the heart of the financial district. It was an amazing feeling to outsmart the cops, whose authoritarian command structure had prevented them from reacting effectively to our movements. Suddenly we were at the intersection of Bay and King, the heart of the financial district. All traffic was stopped. No one was getting into the banks and brokerage houses. There was no profiteering.
Our large march then broke down into 3 marches and all three marches continued to snake their ways through the financial district, disrupting traffic, picketing doorways to the major buildings, dumping newspaper boxes into the street, chanting, dancing, and pumping our fists. Chants included: "Stop the War on the Poor, Make the Rich Pay!" and "Down with Harris (the Premier who just announced that he was resigning!)" and "Smash Capitalism, Smash the State!"
The police were totally outsmarted. They had hundreds of goons ready to beat us up but they couldn't react quickly enough to catch us. Occasionally we would have to hurry to avoid being boxed into a block, but for the most part, the police were unprepared to deal with us. We continued to weave our way through the financial district until we heard the best news of the day--that the financial district had been shut down! Apparently, the radio stations said that drivers should stay out of the financial district and that employers were asking employees to work from home today. When we heard this news we screamed with excitement. It felt like Seattle and Quebec City all over again. In fact, it felt better...
Anyways, a few minutes later we witnessed another amazing event: An activist had climbed onto the large overhang covering the front doors to one of the glitziest hotels in Toronto, grabbed the American flag hanging above, spray-painted "murder" across it, and set it on fire while thousands of people below chanted "No racist war! No racist War!..." This was amazing!
By now, our numbers had swelled to several thousand people. We then set our sights on the American consulate. Everyone gathered outside the consulate and we heard a number of amazing speeches. All of a sudden, the black bloc started tipping over police barricades and vehicles. However, since the cops were so disorganised they couldn't stop the actions. (I forgot to mention that a number of big bank windows were broken earlier).
Our goal was to disrupt the financial district and disperse by 11:00 am. Around 10:30 we marched to a more open area of the downtown and people started to disperse
to prepare for the Mob4Glob event at noon and the massive labour rally at 5:00 pm.
This was a great event. Despite all of the threats from the police (activists were pre-emptively arrested, spied-on, harrassed, delivered intimidating letters from the Chief of Police, photographed [the Montreal contingent was surrounded by cops and photograhed as soon as they pulled into Toronto!]), we took to the streets with courage and won the first battle in the Fall Campaign.
Today's event was the kick-off event for the Ontario Common Front's FALL CAMPAIGN OF ECONOMIC DISRUPTION that will attempt to create a political crisis for the Tory government by shutting down the profit system in this province. Today's action included activists from the union, student, global justice, socialist, anarchist, social justice, and First Nations movements. Activists at today's event will now take the struggle back into their workplaces. They will engage in strike actions or other activities of economic disruption that will create a crisis of legitimacy for the rulers of the province. For example, CUPE-Ontario (Canadian Union of Public Employees; 140,000 members) will start a general strike
in the next few months. Other actions will also occur across the province.
Lessons? Organise locally and be confident. Take to the street and attack the root sources of our oppression. For more info, check out http://ontario.indymedia.org and http://www.ocap.ca
As we said in Quebec, So-So-So, Solidarity! And as we now say in Toronto, Economic Disruption! Fight to Win!
[Separate Note: This hugely successful event was just one of a number of actions that were organized in Toronto for October 16. In addition to the snake marches there was the activist fair at Ryerson (where the campus station CKLN 88.1 FM was broadcasting continuous live updates of Common Front activities) and a smaller 'green zone' rally organized by Toronto Mobilization for Global Justice at noon just west of the financial district. A demonstration by 300 high school students had taken place on the previous day outside the Ministry of Education office. As well, a caravan of vehicles had driven slowly towards Toronto from both eastern and western Ontario, clogging traffic on Highway 401. A rally organized by the Toronto and District Labour Council had also been called for 5:30 PM that day. Further actions have been planned in other Ontario cities over the next several weeks. (Check out OCAP's website at www.ocap.ca for information.)]
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Croatia
Dear all, I am writing you from small town in north-west part of Croatia.So, if you have some spare time I would like to inwite you to read this letter,..including grammar mistakes,ha ha.This early spring here in Varazdin I organized distributing of anti-McD's leaflets.It was the first action of that kind here. With kind support and help from some of my friends I have translated your leaflet and and I used information to make "Croatian" version with some adaptations to make leaflet "closer" to local people. One sunny afternoon four of us just entered McD's and in few minutes we were able to distribute about 100 leaflets to present people,mostly kids and their parents.It was some Eastern party so place was
crowded ...even clown Ronald McDonald was there.We were acting quickly and before we were throwen out of the restaurant we did our job.No need to say that stuff was shocked and really confused.They were not prepared for such of action. It was in April.
And two days ago on 16 October situation was quite different:much more leaflets and much more activists!All in all we have maneged to distribute 1500 leaflets!Every single we had!Most of the leaflets we distributed in front of McD's restaurant but we also distributed leaflets in high schools and downtown.And now something unusual:for a short time couple of McD's stuff joined us but of course they were distributing their,McD's leaflets.Poor guys, they looked like being beaten up,so confused and "lost" so they quit soon.And listen to that:Manager of the restaurant has offered us hamburgers for free! Yes of course, we did refuse his offer...hm, maybe because he did not offered few bottles of beer as well,ha ha.The manager did not notice that we already "use" McD's property becouse we have parked our car on thir private parking place.So we did not have to pay parking ticked. And finally, Iwould like to say something about reactions from people who took our leaflets.Well ,most of them were little bit confused probably because that kind of actions are not still comon(?) in Croatia.But we did get lots of support from people as well.From my point of view our action was successful and as the result of the action many people will pay more attention to danger that comes from big corporations,not only McD's.Also we belive that next time more activists will join us and that we will be able to do mucm more to protect our precious Mother Earth from corporation greed.
With best wishes from all of us,
M,A,S,M,I,T,S,I,F,B,B,J and I (that's me)
P.S. You can wisit our web page on: http://www.kneja.hr to see our leaflet.In just few hours more than 200 people visited our page with information about McD,s!...and ,please,sorry again for my broken English...
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England
Brighton, Southern England
Hi all,
Brighton Animal Rights Campaign were out & about on the 16th for Mcd day. About 10 people gave out leaflets & generally educated people inside the store as well as passers by outside the Western Road branch in Brighton.
People seem to be getting the message as many already knew about Mcdonalds & the results of the Mclibel trial. It was quite heartening to get such a positive response from the public, hope they had such a good response elsewhere.
(By the way we've got a good pic of one of our Mcd demos on http://www.vegans.free-online.co.uk/barcF.htm near the bottom of the page if you fancy a look)
Chichester, Southern England
A good day all round. We DISRUPTED all macdonalds from Chichester to Portsmouth. We blocked drive throughs and placed massive food orders, then explained the issues as to why it could not be purchased. We were asked to leave but it fell on deaf ears until our mission was done. By the time we arrived at Havant our descriptions had been shown around. The police were called at lunchtime to the main store in Portsmouth.We convinced quite a few customers to take their custom elsewhere. We managed to hand out about 300 leaflets printed from the website. We were noisy.Car horns, hooters, whistles and 5 very noisy children who were shouting the issues as much as the adults. Next year we are planning a big protest.Who are we? We are two adults and five children who do not agree with macdonalds and all it stands for one bit.
Dorset, Southern England
Dorset animal action took part in McDonalds day in Bournemouth, there are loads of pics on our website, www.dorsetanimalaction.co.uk and here is a brief report.
Half a dozen protestors converged upon the Bournemouth branch of McDonalds to show their disgust of its use of sweatshop labour, deforestation, exploitation of workers, murder of animals.
On arriving a huge banner was erected and hundreds of leaflets were distributed. lthough the activists were physically threatened several times, the response from the public was generally positive, with several people asking to join the group.
The 16th of Otober may be Anti-McDonalds day, but it will certainly not be the last time we demonstrate against them this year! Even some of the workers told us that they strongly disagreed with McDonalds ethics (obviously not that strongly!) so, powerful as it seems, if we all stand together huge multinationals such as this can be brought crashing down. Dont give up hope, every person you get to boycott McDonalds is a blow to their oversized wallet! If we try hard enough we can stop them, if we go on trying we will.
Kendal - Northern England
There were 2 pickets outside the only store in Kendal, the first from 11.30 - 2.15 and the second was during school home time 3.30 - 5. Lots of grief from the store manager especially when leaflets were handed out in the store, she called the Police but they were not interested. Posters that had been put up before and during the picket were removed from the community notice board (sponsored by Mcdonalds in partnership with the council). The school kids were very responsive and most of them are going to check out Mcspotlight.
London, Central
Well I thought we had a very good day, apart from me feet, there killing me!! 5 of us spent two n half hours of burger flipping, roll cutting, lettuce slicing and packaging and off we walked/cycled to the Strand for the event.
Arriving a little after 3 the store was already being leafleted and a few placards were being displayed around the entrance to the store, we opened out the 2 banners we brought along (25 years of McJunk & McD's guilty of blah blah blah) and started handing out the free veggie burgers and some more placards, leaflets. The Rhythms of Resistance Samba band started to do there thing and a crowd started to form around it all. Another supporter arrived and handed out free organic Halva balls to passers by and protesters. There was about 30 protesters at this store and the picket lasted till 4pm, the Police stood by and stepped in twice - once to ask for the veggie burger queue to be kept out of the way of the passers by and a second to request the McD branded BSE placards move away from the entrance of the store.
Off to the Leicester Square for the next picket. A solitary copper tells the Samba Band that they can't play any music till 5 pm (it was 4.30), some special by law that applies to Leicester Square, so he leaves and 5 minutes later the band start up. A large crowd (100+) gathers very quickly, loads of leafleting and the Samba crew get to perform without any grief till 5.10pm were we end the picket and head to Whitehall.
The Police are already outside the Whitehall store when we arrive, but we set up our banners and get to leafleting, a cop van pulls in front of the banners so they can't be seen from the road, so we move down from the store a little. This store was also chosen by the GMB Union and No Sweat for there pickets from 5.30 - 6pm. The Samba start up and 2 clowns arrive on a customised rickshaw with a big banner flying from the back of the bike that reads 'McExploitation', a few shaving foam pies are thrown about, and the store is totally empty of customers. This is the largest picket of the 3 with a few left-wing Party paper sellers ('Revolution') and different leaflets - the GMB's is about Mcdonalds introducing age discrimination in wage rates, and No Sweat's are anti Nike & Mcdonalds. There was also another banner but I didn't see what it had on it. A few more burgers are handed out and then we leave at 6 to join the Anti-War/Peace Vigil outside Downing St.
The Vigil was quite large with many different speakers using the open Mike. The remaining burgers were taken around and offered to the crowd, who were very appreciative.
About 8000 leaflets handed out during the afternoon and I don't want to eat another veggie burger till the festival season next summer. All good fun and thanks to everyone.
Newcastle
To mark the 17th Worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day (16 October), Tyneside activists protested outside the Northumberland St, McDonaldâs at 12 noon. This is a protest against McDonaldâsâ record of damage to the environment, promotion of junk food, and animal cruelty. They gave out free food and leaflets about what's wrong with McDonaldâs.
The baked potatoes given away also marked United Nations World Food Day (also today). The spuds have been grown on the under-threat, Nuns Moor >allotments. This action used locally grown, organic food, that is healthy,doesnât involve animal cruelty or factory & chemical processes in >its production, and is for free, rather than for profit.
This action really did demonstrate alternatives to McDonalds:
- no animal cruelty
- organic food
- recycled packaging (silver foil)
- bike trailer transport
- free - ie no profit
- healthy food
- using threatened allotments
- community grown spuds
- confrontational
- fun
- planned and done by a group of people
Only 2 downsides: The North Sea gas used to cook them and that there were none left when the manageress came out to have one, at the end!
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Finland
http://indymedia.no/index.php?index=arkivarius.php&doc=195
Anti-McDonald's dag overvŒket av politi
Hvorfor er politiet interresert i Œ spane pŒ antiMcDonalds-demonstranter?? Tirsdag 16. oktober var den store internasjonale dagen mot McDonald's. Det var i forkant varslet om en aksjon mot en eller flere McDonald's >restauranter i Oslo denne dagen, og noen valgte da ogsŒ Œ m¿te opp. Dette >var ikke mange, desverre, og noen aksjon ble det sŒ vidt vi vet aldri noe av. Og det var jo synd.
Immidlertid er det verd Œ bemerke at sivilpolitiet hadde tatt seg bryderiet med Œ m¿te opp. Hvordan de hadde funnet ut dette, vet vi ikke - de har nok sine finurlige metoder allikevel (kanskje har de sjekket IMC-sidene...). de var fire stykker alt i alt, og da det sto klart for dagen at de visste at vi visste hvem de var, mŒtte de frem med politiskiltene sine og sp¿rre og grave om hva vi hadde planlagt, hvem som var lederen og sŒ videre. Det samme gamle.
Sp¿rsmŒlet er; hvorfor i all verden er de interresert i Œ sette inn sivile >politimenn og -kvinner mot en aksjon som er sŒ lite belyst at ingen m¿ter opp, selv ikke initiativtakerene?? Hadde det skjedd dersom f.eks. >"sortkledde anarkist-terrorister" IKKE hadde bedrevet ruteknusing under alle >store >antiglobaliserings-demonstrasjoner??? Og - er vi ikke alle terrorister >etter angrepet 11.september??
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Greece
Athens
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=7866&group=webcast
by Virus Collective virus.ath@lycos.com
Today, October 16, activists of the Virus collective (a collective which was formed by Prague and Genova demonstrators) made an action in front of the central Mc Donald's restaurant in Athens. Having painted their faces white and wearing black clothes, denounced Mc Donald's food industry. They were also giving to people who were passing by leaflets whose content was the following:
THIS 'CIVILIZATION' DOES NOT KILL USING BOMBS ONLY·
President G. Bush declared that the total destruction of Afghanistan aims at the defense of 'our' 'civilization'. We believe that the (not so clever) president is not wrong. The crime that is being committed at this moment in Afghanistan is directly linked to the crime that is committed daily against our lives (of all of us: Europeans, Americans and Asians).
Today, on the 16th of October 2001, the global day against McDonald's, is the right moment to think about the exact nature of these crimes and those who are responsible for them, as well as about the essence and the carriers of this civilization· 20,000 shops in 5 continents, endless hours of advertising, one million employees and many more cows are working around the clock for one and only purpose: for all of us to become brothers at last. If we are dressed in the same clothes, watch the same movies, listen and dance with the same songs, wonât we eventually become as one? Following this plan, the multinational huge enterprise called McDonaldâs envisages the unison of the mankind through peopleâs stomachs. ...... But lying and stupidity both have their limits.
Millions of people across the world are beginning to realize that McDonald's, as well as every other multinational company that imposes the globalization concept, is not interested in nothing else but their profits. And the increase of these profits, as well as the ãhumanitarianä bombings, both cause huge ãadjacent damagesä. > >...
No one of course argues that McDonald's are the source of every evil in humanity or that its business tactics and strategies are original and nit found anywhere else. Apart from being a huge multinational company ? and there are a lot of those and even bigger ones? McDonald's also consists one of the most representative symbols in the global conflict of various interests for gaining control and power around the world. The situation has created two opposite sides: the first is represented by a bunch of multinational companies and their statutory supporters that treats people and the environment as raw materials for gaining dollars; the second presents a global movement of millions of people that believe that humanity deserves much more than what the former side imposes. Our nutrition, our health and our planet's environment are too serious issues to be left in the hands of Ronald Mcdonald. As long as we continue to eat BigMacs and live according to their rules, we are not becoming tall, blond and happy; we become tame and submissive, lacking of any free will and initiative.
So we say: McEnd!
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Israel
Hundreds of activist took part in protests in front of stores all over the country: Beer Sheva, Gan Shmuel, Kryot, Haifa, Jerusalem, Kfar Saba, Karmiel, Nahriya, Rishon Letzion, Rehovot, Ramat-Gan, Ramat Hasharon, Shoham and Tel Aviv.
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Italy
Napoli
http://italy.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=25303&group=webcast
Comunicato su Iniziativa internazionale anti McDonald's a Napoli by Contropotere 3:29pm Tue Oct 16 '01 contropoetere@ziplip.com
Anarchici contro il McDonald's Oggi 16 ottobre 2001, su proposta dei compagni di Napoli della Federazione Anarchica Italiana, alcune decine di compagni si sono mobilitati per la giornata internazionale di lotta contro la catena McDonald's. Sono stati presenti dalle 13 alle 14 ca con una piazzola di controinformazione e di distribuzione di alimenti vegetariani davanti al McDonald's di via Guglielmo Sanfelice, prendendo contatto con molte persone, alcune delle quali hanno anche preso il materiale di controinformazione per distribuirlo sui propri luoghi di lavoro. Dietro indicazione di altri compagni convenuti direttamente all'iniziativa, questa verrˆ proseguita anche in altri luoghi della cittˆ.
A cura dell'Organizzazione Anarco Comunista Napoletana - FAI
Roma
Just arrived in roma the other day (16th) stumbled across small demonstration outside a Mcspewies,people there were really friendly,totaly relaxed...the protest seemed fairly peacefull and successful...la polizia turned up and despite their looming presence,some of the officers were the tallest human beings i'd ever seen .....it was a success...made some new friends,scored some informazione about hostels and entertainment....fun times....grazie ai miei amici d'italiano...ciao per ora...the snu.
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Malta
PO Box 24 Sliema Malta W | movgraff@hotmail.com | www.movimentgraffitti.cjb.net
Our peceful protest will consist of: A banner reading McJunk,... a large, ugly, scary face of ronald made from papier mache which is intended to show the real side of Ronald especially with children,... placards made from their own rubbish!,... Drums,.. Fliers,....and for the first time, we've added up a small play where ronald we'll be killing animals, polluting the whole world,...all in the name of profit. Usually this is the protest that all members/friends of Graffitti look up to, so I assume that we'll be between 20 and 35 - Hopefully!!
All this will happen in front of McDonalds, Valletta(Malta's capital city), from 10:00am onwards Saturday 20th October. We always choose Saturday Mornings for protests because every weekend almost half of the population rushes at Valletta to spend some more! Sorry for not sharing the common day but it's useless between the week,(especially considering the few but active members we are) Malta is a small country and If one wants to reach tha maximum of the people, than it's got to be definately on a saturday morning at Valletta.
KEEP THE STRUGGLE!
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New Zealand
Aukland
Last night McDonald branches throughout Auckland were targeted by activists. Greenlane, St Lukes, Queen Street, New Lynn, Westgate, Henderson, Royal Oak, New Market and Kelston had toilets blocked with quick set cement and some had their locks glued.
October 16th is International Anti McDonalds day and McDonalds will be feelingthe pressure worldwide.
Responsible for the torture and murder of millions of animals, human exploitation, damaging the enviroment and many many more evils, it's time to wipe the smile from Ronalds face and make the money grabbing bastards pay.
Hamilton
Hamilton Animal Rights Defense, of Hamilton
New Zealand, held a demonstrations at several McDonalds throughout the city. At noon, around 60 vegan burgers were given away outside the McDonalds on the University campus in about 1/2 an hour. A large pile of pamphlets were also distributed.
The main demo of the day, which had been advertised for about two weeks prior to, took place at 4:30, outside the McDonalds on Victoria St, the main street of Hamilton. Ronald had been sighted in town, and he was hunted down, chased, and stuck in stalks, and put on trial. Four witnesses testified against him, resulting in the judge declaring Ronald guilty of a wide range of crimes, to be punished by being hit with water balloons and wet sponges. The Restaurant had early made the desicion to use their own staff in place of security gaurds, and even though a number of letters were handed to the staff, explaining they were not the target of the event, staff yelled, ridiculed and at one point punched
a protester. When approved civily before any violence took place, the McDonalds Managers would get between a protester and a worker, and tell the worker they were not allowed to listen to us.
Other events occured earlier in the week, when an evil McDonalds was seen on the roof of McDonalds.
Palmerston North
Palmerston North had its Anti-McDonalds Day on the square targeted for the second year - bigger and better. Last year Ronald knifed a cow. This year a psychotic painted Ronald took a chainsaw to two cows. However, when he turned on the chicken, the chicken, having had an oppressed life in a battery cage, wrestled with Ronald and killed him in the name of his fellow chickens, and all other animals that suffer at the slaughter houses. Go the chicken!
Free falafel was served to pre-McDonalds customers, right outside the 'restaurant'. They got a healthy, non-exploitive burger, whilst being leafleted. The placards covered everything, and the 'Who elected corporate rule' banner made another appearance to popular acclaim. Two amused policemen drifted past with a reminder to the 60+ protesters 'not to block the footpath'. Drummers got going and sung, 'We dont need no exploitation, we dont need no corporate control, hey, Ronald, leave the kids alone!' Flour bombs rained on Ronald, and 'blood' stained the white tiles.
The usual handful of passers by still chose to remain ignorant, but to our joy, others got themselves informed. Three loyal customers, whilst eating their purchased evil, tried to rebut the protesters (on the McDonalds pay roll?). McDonalds worshippers this year surpassed throwing McGarbage, instead lobbed eggs and 'soft serves' missing protesters, but not the windows.
We'll be back next year bigger and better.
Hello
I put a big hole in Ronald McDonald's head with an axe on a billboard in Wainuiomata, New Zealand on the 16th of October. Interestingly, the sign was taken down almost immediately afterwards, thus restoring the hillside to its former beauty.
It just goes to show how important public relations are to these corporations. They would much rather people think that McDonalds decided to take the sign down itself. This goes to show how much power we really have.
I hope others will find this inspirational.
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Phillipines
http://www.ainfos.ca/A-Infos/ainfos06529.html
Philippine Anarchist Action Against McDonalds
ACC Philippines, a network of autonomous activists conducted parallel actions yesterday, O16 in light of the commemmoration of the World Food Day and Int'l Day of Action Against Mcdonalds. ACC activists picketed a McDonald's branch in Quezon City while giving >leaflets and later joined the broad mobilization of peasants against the GATT AoA. Similar actions were also done in cities on other islands, namely Cebu and Davao.
Their Statement are as follows.
Fight the Globalization of Hunger! ACC Philippines Statement for World Food Day and the International Day of Action against McDonalds and the Fast-food Industry October 16, 2001
From the advent of the Industrial Revolution to the present, humanity has been assured by its rulers of salvation Ð salvation from the hardships of living. One of the hardships that has been given lip service has been hunger. And up to now we see that hunger is still plaguing the world, killing tens of thousands of people everyday. How do our rulers plan to solve this? By waging wars and increasing military spending, thereby displacing millions of families, destroying wildlife and using valuable funds for weapons instead of food? By altering the genetic make-up of organisms they see useful and profitable and claiming that this will solve food scarcity, under the framework that brought about this scarcity
in the first place? By establishing the fast-food industry and the meat industry, two of the most destructive industries in the world?
But we know that hunger is not essentially a part of human existence. It was only institutionalized in the methods of organization brought about by civilization. Hunger does not exist, but there exists an organization of hunger. Our task for now is to destroy it.
We join the ranks of all those that are victimized by hunger and violence.
We believe however that only the ultimate destruction of capitalist civilization will bring about a world of diversity, freedom and harmony. We are to do away with what we hate Ð hunger, patriarchy, speciesism, ageism, boredom, violence Ð and plant the seeds of our utopia now by waging our struggle. Animal liberationists, neo-Luddites, queers, autonomes, tribalists, guerilla artists, hardcore punks, scavengers, feminists, guerilla gardeners, cheerleaders of the revolution: fight the globalization of hunger!
- - Anti-Capitalist Convergence Philippines
Tumulong sa aming pakikibaka! Kung ikaw ay sumasang-ayon sa lahat o kayaây sa mga bahagi ng aming panawagan, madali lamang makatulong
- Maging vegetarian o vegan Ð Alam mo ba na ang pagkain ng isang plant-based diet ay ang pinakamadali sa lahat. Nakakatulong ka na sa pagbawas ng polusyon at pagtigil sa pagsira ng kagubatan, magkakaroon ka pa ng malusog na pangangatawan. Bawasan at alisin ang pagkain ng karne.
- Boykotin ang mga fast-food chains Ð Ang mga fast-food chain tulad ng McDo, Jollibee, Burger King atbp. ay sumisira ng mundo. Maliban sa inyong nakikitang basura na ginagawa ng mga kainan na Îto, sila rin ang pangunahing tagatangkilik ng karne na sumisira sa kagubatan at pumapatay ng milyong mga hayop para sa pagkain. Sa katunayan, napatunayan na samga korte sa Europa at Estados Unidos ang mapanirang oryentasyon ng mga ito. Huwag kayong magpauto sa mga mascot nila.
- Mag-recycle ng pagkain Ð Huwag tularan ang mga restaurant na itinatapon ang mga sobrang pagkain. Ang ugaling consumerist ay isa sa manipestasyon ng pagturing sa pagkain at sa mundo bilang mga kalakal lamang.
- Lumahok sa paglaban sa globalisasyon Ð isa sa paraan dito ay magtayo ng sariling grupo at gumawa ng sariling inisyatiba sa pagprotesta o pagbigay-alam sa ibang tao ng aming mga sinasabi. Marami pang paraan at mas maganda kung kayo mismo ang nag-iisip nito at hindi naghihintay ng direksyon sa mga astang lider.
Sa karagdagang impormasyon, kumontak ang ACC Philippines sa e-mail directaction@edsamail.com.ph o sa nagbigay sa inyo ng papel na Îto.
Anti-Capitalist Convergence Philippines [Direct action Ð Autonomy Ð ActiveAnti-Capitalism Ð Counterculture]
Davao Anarchists Resistance Movement (DARM) + Dumpling Press + Earth First! Davao + Far South Resistance Collective - Lucena+ Food not Bombs + Friends of Peoples Close to Nature / Earth First! Manila (fPcN/EF!) + Local anarchist Network (LaN) + Luneta Freedom Collective + Not for Sale Collective + ReQlaim Queer Collective + Students for Radical Action >(SRA-Cebu) + Youth Collective for Animal Liberation (YCAL)
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Russia
http://russia.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=1320
NOTE: We would really appreciate a translation of this report
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USA
Portland
http://portland.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=4054&group=webcast
Rally Tuesday--Say NO to McDonalds!
McDonalds, having been successfully chased out of Hawthorne, is now thinking about setting up shop in the former Raven Creamery building on Martin Luther King Blvd. just south of Fremont.
Eliot Neighborhood activists have already voiced concern about this at a neighborhood association meeting, saying that we want to promote sustainable, locally-owned (especially minority-owned), socially responsible businesses, that pay living wages, on MLK.
McDonalds fails on all counts. The Hawthorne neighborhood didn't want them, and we don't want them here either!
If McDonalds outright buys the building, there will be relatively little that neighborhood activists can do about it--however, if we roll out the unwelcome mat loudly enough now, maybe they will get the message.
There will be a RALLY celebrating International Anti-McDonalds Day, at the proposed restaurant site: Tuesday, October 16 4:00 - 7:00 pm
For those who live in the neighborhood, please consider stopping by on your way home from work. Those who were active in the campaign against McDonalds on Hawthorne--hey, come on down and show your solidarity! Not in anybody's backyard!
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Others
We had scores of reports that arrived anonymously without details of where they took place - this is an example:
"This year a small group of us celebrated Anti McDonalds day by going out the night before and adbusting our local area using home made posters campaigning against McDonald."
We would obviously appreciate with ANY report no matter how long or short it is some form of reference as to where it took place and how many roughly participated. Other details such as what actually took place, how many leaflets were handed out, how many clowns were pied etc are helpful additions to this basic info.
So, finally, big round of applause for everyone who got out and good luck for next year - see you at the front of store!
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