McLibel Support Campaign
P R E S S . R E L E A S E . 05/07/00
MET POLICE PAY £10,000 TO
McLIBEL 2 OVER
DISCLOSURE OF
CONFIDENTIAL INFO TO
McDONALD'S
McLibel Support Campaign 5 Caledonian Road, London, N1, UK.
Tel/Fax (020) 7713 1269 E-mail: mclibel@globalnet.co.uk Info at:
www.mcspotlight.org ________________________________
PRESS RELEASE
5th July 2000
MET POLICE PAY £10,000 TO McLIBEL 2 OVER
DISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFO TO McDONALD'S -
Commissioner forced to agree to alert all officers not to pass on
confidential data 6 years after the McLibel trial started on 28th June
1994, the High Court has sealed an out of court settlement order in
a separate case brought by the McLibel 2. Helen Steel (34) and
Dave Morris (46), launched proceedings on 17th September 1998
against the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and Detective
Sergeant David Valentine, over their disclosure of confidential
information to McDonald's, claiming damages for misfeasance in
public office, breach of confidence and breach of their right to
privacy.
The trial had been set to start last month, but in order to avoid what
they called 'a difficult and lengthy trial' the Met agreed to pay
£10,000 to the McLibel 2, plus their legal costs, and most
significantly 'to bring this settlement to the attention of the 3 Area
Commanders of the Metropolitan Police Force and ask them to
remind their officers of their responsibility not to disclose
information
on the Police National Computer to a third party.' Under the consent
order finalised today, DS Valentine also stated he 'regretted any
distress of the claimants caused by the disclosure of their details' to
a private investigator hired by McDonald's to infiltrate London
Greenpeace.
It emerged during the McLibel trial that police (including Special
Branch) officers had passed private and in some cases false
information about the McLibel 2 (and other protestors), including
home addresses, to McDonald's and to their private investigator.
Sid Nicholson, McDonald's Head of Security and a former Met Chief
Superintendent, had stated from the witness box that McDonald's
security department were 'all ex-policemen' and if he ever wanted to
know information about protestors he would go to his contacts in the
police (day 249 of the trial, transcripts p38).
The McLibel 2 said today: "At the 11th hour the police pulled out of
facing a case which would've demonstrated illegal police practices.
In recent years there have been a number of publicised incidents of
the police passing information about campaigners to private
companies. It's clear that their claim to be impartial defenders of the
public is a hollow one. This collusion reveals the political role of the
police in ensuring the wheels of big business keep turning. This
case has forced the Met to warn all London police officers against
such practices."
McLIBEL BACKGROUND
McDonald's issued writs for libel against the McLibel 2 in
September 1990 alleging they had been libelled in the London
Greenpeace factsheet: ‘What’s Wrong With McDonald’s?. On June
19th 1997, after a trial lasting 314 days (the longest in English legal
history), Mr Justice Bell ruled that: McDonald's marketing has
"pretended to a positive nutritional benefit which their food (high in
fat & salt etc) did not match"; that McDonald's "exploit children" with
their advertising strategy; are "culpably responsible for animal
cruelty"; and "pay low wages, helping to depress wages in the
catering trade."
On March 31st 1999 the Court of Appeal added to those damning
findings. Lord Justices Pill, May and Keane ruled that it was fair
comment to say that McDonald's employees worldwide "do badly in
terms of pay and conditions", and true that "if one eats enough
McDonald's food, one's diet may well become high in fat etc., with
the very real risk of heart disease.'" However, largely on the basis of
a legalistic and semantic interpretation of the leaflet, the Courts
still
ruled that the McLibel 2 had libelled McDonald's over some points
and ordered them to pay damages to the company.
The McLibel 2 are currently preparing a case to go before the
European Court of Human Rights, seeking to defend the public's
right to criticise companies whose business practices affect
people's lives, health and the environment, arguing that multinational
corporations should no longer be able to sue for libel. They also
seek an end to unfair and oppressive defamation laws and
procedures in general, and in their case in particular. This follows
the refusal, in April 2000, of the House of Lords to allow them leave
for a full appeal to be heard there over the remaining issues and the
basic principles of libel law.
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