Here's an Email I've written to several friends to try to get them involved in Saturday's events. Why not cut 'n' paste it, and get as many people as you can...(I had to paraphrase bits, and it doesn't read too well, but time is short !)
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As you may have heard : after 3 years, the McLibel trial is finally over.
Basically this was a libel case brought about by McDonalds, who sued 2 members of London Greenpeace for distributing a leaflet describing some of McDonald's dubious practices & effects. Although they spend billions of pounds a year on advertising, they quickly attempt to silence any voice of opposition. Only this time, instead of apologies, the 2 people (Helen Morris & Dave Steel) stood firm and refused to back down, and so the case went to court...
McDonalds have now been proved guilty of cruelty to animals, exploitation of workers, and unfair targeting of children through advertisments.
Sadly the judge decided there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the claims that McDonald's food was unhealthy (!), or that they destroyed rainforests & contributed to 3rd World poverty, and as a result McDonalds are claiming 'victory', and the 2 defendants have been ordered to pay 60,000 pounds of damages.
So, how could 2 unemployed, ordinary people (who were denied legal aid and a jury) possibly take on the 'mighty' McDonalds, who were paying their legal team 6,500 pounds a day !? The answer is simple : because they were telling the truth, and McDonalds were not ! Yet again (remember OJ Simpson ?) McDonalds have proved that it is possible to buy justice.
Please consider lending your support this Saturday, when nearly 400 of the 750+ McDonald's stores in the UK will be leafleted by members of the public, looking to further the damage already (self)inflicted upon McDonalds, by making the public aware of the issues, and proving that the truth can not be silenced or bought. For more information about what you can do, have a look at : http://www.mcspotlight.org and in particular the pages concerning this Saturday's plan of action :
http://www.mcspotlight.org/campaigns/current/adopt/index.html
I'll be there all day - hope to see you there (even if you just feel like popping by for a chat !)
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Just do it !
:-)
None.
