As of the beginning of December 1999, the McLibel email list has been vigorously rubbed-down, given a small glass of brandy and has now returned to the fray.

 
content

McLibel Trial news, newspaper articles and press releases (inc. upcoming European Court of Human Rights appeal, House of Lords appeal and trial of Helen&Dave against the Metropolitan Police)

Anti-McDonald's campaigning (Residents Against McDonald's, PETA's campaign about McD's animal cruelty, October 16th, Adopt-a-Store, new campaign to ban McD's children's adverts)

McSpotlight news & events (workshops, live debates, competitions)

McLibel documentary news, cinema releases & screening dates

Very occasional news on other multinationals, WTO, MAI

Other occasional campaign info from London Greenpeace

 
info

the list is announcements only. if it's discussion you're after, go to the McSpotlight Debating Room.

the list is low traffic - probably a couple of postings per week - but we'll get a digest going if and when.

anyone already subscribed to the old McLibel listserv has been transferred to this new list. also, anyone who attempted to subscribe via McSpotlight in the last three years has finally been added.

this new list is now the one and only McLibel/McSpotlight/Anti-McDonald's list.

 
subscribing

To subscribe to the list, simply type your email address into the box below and then hit 'subscribe'.

Alternatively, you can subscribe manually:
get on: send blank email to list-subscribe@mclibel.org
get off: send blank mail to list-unsubscribe@mclibel.org
help: send blank mail to list-help@mclibel.org
human: send meaningful mail to list-owner@mclibel.org

 
archive

The new mailing list is archived here.
The former McLibel listserv postings from 1994 to 1998 are here.

 
contacts

Mailing list queries/ forwarding info for list
submit@mcspotlight.org

McSpotlight
http://www.mcspotlight.org
info@mcspotlight.org

McLibel Support Campaign
mclibel@globalnet.co.uk

London Greenpeace
c/o mclibel@globalnet.co.uk

One-Off Productions (McLibel documentary)
http://www.spanner.org/mclibel/
oops@spanner.org

 
background

The McDonald's Corporation issued libel writs in the UK in 1990 in an effort to suppress the distribution of London Greenpeace anti-McDonald's leaflets. They also hoped to frighten off other critics of the company.

The McLibel Trial became the longest and one of the most controversial in English history, ending with damning findings against McDonald's: the Judge ruled that they exploit children with their advertising, deceive their customers by claiming their food is nutritious, cause animal cruelty and pay low wages.

Since then, the leafletting and campaigning has mushroomed, and there is a much greater public awareness of what McDonald's really represents. For us, the company is a symbol of the whole global economic system which is geared to ruthless exploitation and profit. The growing campaign against McDonald's demonstrates the power that ordinary people have when they believe in themselves and decide to fight back against the institutions which control our lives and planet.

The McSpotlight website was launched in 1996 to provide comprehensive information about every aspect of the trial and McDonald's. It now has over 200,000 files, has been accessed 75 million times and was described by Wired as 'the blueprint for all activist websites'.

The story of the epic court battle is told in the award-winning documentary 'McLibel: Two World's Collide', which is available on VHS or live on the web.