During April a McDonald's drive-thru was sloganised with grease and posters were stuck everywhere.
On Tuesday August 29th a community radio station, CFRU 93.3fm, in Guelph, Ontario held a benefit gig to raise funds for the McLibel two. The station has followed the trial with a keen interest, broadcasting updates and other information for activists
The Mayday collective, a group based in Victoria who formed in April '95 to occupy the Royal Bank of Canada's main Victoria branch, which was a very empowering demonstration of dissent to Social Program cutbacks and the corporate agenda in general. About 15 people were arrested for refusing to leave the bank.
On the 11th World anti-McDonald's day protests took place in Guelph, Ontario and Montreal.
In Guelph trade unionists, environmentalists and animal rights activists (including ex-McDonald's workers) distributed anti-McD flyers, information for the workers, and info on vegetarianism for 3 hours outside a store. The protesters lowered the Canadian and McDonald's flags to half-mast to mark the third anniversary of the death of Mark Hopkins and in memory of the millions of animals slaughtered by the fast food giant every year. The demonstration was held on the day of Solidarity with McDonald's workers
On October 31st, MayDay held its largest demonstration yet, drawing about 150 people for an anti-corporate Halloween bash to "expose the HORRORS of our system". After kicking things off with some theatre, every major corporate entity on downtown Douglas St was targetted. Extra security guards had been drafted in to cope with the protesters so they were unable to enter the 2 McDonald's stores. Instead information on the lack of corporate taxation was read out and glued to the front walls of the stores.
Ontario - One of the many trade union disputes against McDonald's broke out when workers attempted to unionise. McDonald's reacted using highly controversial methods including getting employees to lie in the snow in the shape of the letters "NO" (to trade unions). Sarah Inglis, one of the trade union activists working at the store gave evidence at the McLibel trial in 1995.
During 1993 the beyond beef coalition organised their 'Adopt-a-McDonald's' campaign. Teams of 4 were recruited throughout North America, each targetting a different store. The campaign produced extensive research materials and leaflets condemning "cattle culture" . On the April 17th action day over 1,500,000 leaflets and children's coloring books were handed out at over 3000 McDonald's stores.
During 1990 there was street theatre outside McDonald's at Bloor St. and Avenue Rd in Toronto in a joint demonstration organized by the Toronto Vegetarian Association, and Action Volunteers for Animals. A photo was taken of an actor dressed up like Ronald McDonald wielding an axe. The play had him about to cut the head off of a cow, but the cow pleaded for its life and Ronald McMurder started to feel sorry for what he had done and was about to do and started to cry. There was press coverage in NOW magazine. The play was called Alice in McMurderland.
The McToxics campaign targetted McDonald's use of wasteful styrofoam packaging. Thousands of stores were picketted and send-it-back campaigns returned rubbish to the company HQ in Chicago. After 4 years the campaigners were victorious - the company capitulated.
Geoffrey Giuliano, an actor who had been playing the role of Ronald McDonald quit saying," I want to apologize for participating in helping to brainwash North America's young people into doing something that I now know to be contrary to the purpose of life." For more of this story please click here
