Dear Friends,

As you will probably have heard by now, closing speeches in the McLibel Trial ended on 13th December 1996, and the court adjourned to await the Judge's verdict, which is now expected in June. The trial lasted 313 days in court spanning two and a half years (it began on 28th June 1994), and in November 1996 it became the longest trial in English history. For perhaps the first time ever, a multinational corporation has effectively been put on trial over its business practices - promotion of junk food, exploitation of workers and animals, unethical advertising to children, and damage to the environment. The alternatives have also been successfully aired and defended. Despite the unfairness of the battle, the oppressive libel laws and the Defendants' exhaustion, McDonald's critics have been completely vindicated by the evidence during the trial.

We are calling an international VICTORY DAY OF ACTION on the Saturday after the verdict to celebrate McDonald's complete failure to suppress alternative views and information. Thousands of people around the world have pledged to leaflet outside their local stores on that day and beyond, whatever the verdict in the trial, in a display of solidarity with the McLibel Defendants and a show of conviction that all the criticisms in the What's Wrong With McDonald's? leaflets are true. A fully referenced version of the current A5 leaflet is available from the McLibel Support Campaign, so you can see for yourself that all the criticisms have been verified in the trial (often by McDonald's own witnesses and documents). Also to be handed out is the special leaflet for kids - "What's Wrong With Ronald McDonald?" - to help build the network of Kids Against McDonald's. And in addition there's the "Do You Work For McDonald's?" leaflets encouraging store staff to stand up for workers' rights.

Over 2 million 'What's Wrong' leaflets have been handed out in the UK alone since the writs were served on Helen & Dave. Protests and campaigns against McDonald's continue in over 25 countries. The campaign has been a roaring success and is clearly unstoppable.

ADOPT-A-STORE (UK) - In the UK, we aim for all McDonald's 760+ stores to be leafletted on the Victory Day of Action. Please assist in the coordinated leafletting on that day by adopting your local store - see the enclosed "Adopt-a-Store" form. Already over 390 of the stores are covered. This is a historic event and we hope that you will be a part of it. Thank you to all those who have already adopted their local stores - you will be contacted soon about this. We are also looking for people to take on the task of coordinating others in their county or region. The region could be large or small (though a county or city is easiest for us to administer). In this way, an independent, decentralised network is being established, making it easier and quicker for all the adopters to keep in touch with each other, and to keep active at the end of the trial and beyond. In addition, coordinators can identify stores in their region which have not yet been adopted and try to find people to adopt them. Please let Veggies or the McLibel Support Campaign know if you can be a coordinator. (Please read the enclosed Q & A's re Leafleting and 'Adopt-A-Store). After the verdict, McDonald's may try to swamp the public with propaganda and their version of events - we must all be determined, organised and fully prepared to continue to distribute hundreds of thousands of leaflets directly to the public and through organisations' mailings, conferences and other events. Now is the time to act. Please print your own leaflets (feel free to copy any of the leaflets enclosed) if you possibly can, or order leaflets NOW to ensure that you have them in time for the Victory Day of Action. If you live outside Greater London, please order leaflets from: Veggies, 180 Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG1 3HW (Tel 0115 958 5666). If you live within Greater London, please order leaflets from: McLibel Support Campaign (address above). The cost of leaflets is 16 pounds per 1,500; 12 pounds per 1,000; 8 pounds per 600 - please make cheques payable to "Veggies" or "McLibel Support Campaign" as appropriate. [Please note that the original 1986 6-sided Factsheet, subject of the libel action, has been out-of-print since before the writs were served.]

DAMAGES & COSTS - Outrageously, during closing speeches, the $30 billion a year McDonald's Corporation asked the Judge to order the Defendants (total joint income less than 7,500 pounds p.a.) to pay 80-120,000 pounds damages to the company for the criticisms made in the London Greenpeace factsheet (if McDonald's wins the case). This is despite repeated claims by the company to the media, members of Parliament and the public during the course of the trial that "it has never been [McDonald's] intention to seek damages....from the Defendants". McDonald's obviously have no compunction about lying to the public when it suits their purposes. The Defendants are seeking damages in their counterclaim against McDonald's UK for libel in the Press Releases and 300,000 defamatory leaflets produced by the company. Both sides are claiming costs for the claim and counterclaim (McDonald's costs have been estimated to total 5 to 10 million pounds).

DEFENDANTS SUBMIT UK LIBEL LAWS ARE OPPRESSIVE AND UNFAIR - As part of their final legal arguments, the McLibel Defendants submitted that UK libel laws in general - and in this case in particular - are oppressive and unfair. They argued that multinational corporations, which wield huge power and influence over the lives of ordinary people, should not be able to use libel laws against their critics, as it is of vital public importance that matters which affect peoples lives and health are areas of free, uninhibited public debate. They submitted that the McLibel case was an abuse of procedure and of the public's rights - particularly the denial of Legal Aid and a jury trial - that it was beyond all precedent, and that there was "an overriding imperative for decisions to be made to protect the public interest". If the verdict goes against them, the Defendants intend to appeal, and then if necessary take the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg over oppressive UK libel laws.

OFFICIAL COURT TRANSCRIPTS NOW AVAILABLE ON-LINE - http://www.McSpotlight.org/ Since its launch on the 16th Feb 1996, the 'McSpotlight' Internet site has been the focus of international media attention (including front page of USA Today). It is being accessed over 1 million times a month, and recently quadrupled in size with the addition of all 313 days of the official court transcripts. Check 'em out! Whatever the judge's personal verdict, the public will have access to full information to enable them to judge for themselves. McSpotlight is here to stay as an international public resource for researchers, campaigners, journalists and so on - uncensored and unstoppable, the final nail in the coffin of McDonald's global censorship strategy.

We must not tolerate the truth being silenced by censorship or legal thuggery. In the face of mass opposition, 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.

Please get involved with Adopt -a -Store and the independently organised initiatives below:
Support Network for McDonald's Workers - a network providing advice and encouraging solidarity among their workers.
A network for Kids Against McDonald's - all kids everywhere are encouraged to set up their own local KAM groups. (See enclosed leaflets). 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).