Witness Statement

name: Helen Steel

section: Publication

for: The Defence

experience: Involved with legal disputes with McDonald's

summary:
Over the past eleven years I have been involved in various activities and campaigns to change society so that people, animals and the planet we live on are not seen just as the means for a minority to make their profits.

I am not 'actuated by express malice', I am motivated to campaign against McDonald's, and other multinationals, because of my love for the planet we live on, and my love and respect for the people and animals living on it, and because of my desire to see a world free from exploitation and oppression.
[N.B. As part of their case, McDonald's alledge that the defendants are 'actuated by express malice']

cv:
not available

Full cv:
(not available for this witness)

full statement:

Background

Over the past eleven years I have been involved in various activities and campaigns to change society so that people, animals and the planet we live on are not seen just as the means for a minority to make their profits.

During 1989 & 1990 I attended a number of meetings of London Greenpeace and took part in some of the activities and events organised or discussed by the group. I had nothing whatsoever to do with the writing or production of the leaflet complained of in this action. When I first started attending London Greenpeace meetings the leaflet was already in circulation. I do not know who the author/s is/are.

McDonald's were and are just one of the many multinationals destroying the environment and exploiting people and animals. I had no particular grudge against McDonald's although I do find some of their propaganda and advertising particularly sickening. When I was informed of pickets of McDonald's stores and Head Office I decided to attend as it seemed that the aims of the campaign were consistent with my own.

Picketing and Leafleting

On 16th October 1989 I attended a picket of McDonald's Head Office in Finchley. I believe that for part of the time I was holding the London Greenpeace banner, I also recall taking some photographs. I do not remember handing out any leaflets on this picket. I do not remember ever having handed out the leaflet complained of in this action, as it was considered too lengthy to hand out, and it was my understanding that it was saved specifically for persons who asked for more information about McDonald's.

London Greenpeace

I attended the anti McDonald's fayre at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London on 21 October 1989. I believe that for much of the time I was there I was working in the creche. I can also recall clearing up at the end of the fayre.

I have attended a number of London Greenpeace meetings at 6 Endsleigh Street, London, WCl, and invariably there would be a collection of various leaflets in the centre of the table for anyone to take if they were interested. Anyone attending the meetings could put leaflets there. If I saw any leaflets there that I had not seen before then I would take a copy to read if it looked interesting.

I have also attended a number of meetings at the office of London Greenpeace at 5 Caledonian Roadf London, Nl. At the start of these meetings a sheet of paper would be handed round with the word `agenda' written at the top. Anyone could write on the paper anything which they wanted to talk about at the meeting, and following this the items would be gone through one by one.

London Greenpeace is an informal open collective. Anyone can attend meetings and suggest campaigns or actions to organise or get involved in, and anyone who wanted to would join in the discussion/and or campaign.

Level of Participation

I have never, at a meeting, or anywhere else, stated that I assisted with the production and distribution of the leaflet complained of in this action. I have never, at a meeting or anywhere else, either said or acknowledged, that I, either alone or with others 'was responsible for organising the "McDonald's fight"'

Attending pickets and handing out leaflets was the limit of my involvement in the campaign. The leaflets that I recall handing out were A5 size, and not the long leaflet that is the subject of this action. Since receiving the writ I have continued to hand out truthful and accurate leaflets about McDonald's as I feel it is important not to give in to this attempt by McDonald's at censorship, and also because I believe it is necessary to counter the mass of propaganda put out by McDonald's about how wonderful they think they are.

I have every reason to believe that the contents of the leaflet complained of are true.

Rainforests

I have read articles and books on the destruction of rainforests, and the resulting effects, including the eviction of small farmers, and of native peoples. Some of these articles/books specifically mentioned McDonald's as being responsible for such destruction, in that they purchased meat which came from cattle reared on former rainforest land.
I have also seen various documentaries about rainforest destruction including the film Jungleburger, in which representatives of Montecillos Meat Co-op are shown stating that they supply McDonald's in the USA.
I have spoken with Peter Heller who made this film and he confirmed that it was an accurate record of what those representatives said.

Packaging

I have read a number of articles and books and seen a number of documentaries about pollution and destruction of the environment, brought about by the type of society we live in today. About the destruction of forests for paper and other products, about the pollution of the atmosphere, land and seas involved in the oil/petrochemical industry and production of plastic based products. This has included a number of articles specifically about McDonald's use of packaging, both polystyrene and paper, and the use of CFC's and later HCFC's all of which harm the environment in various ways.
I have also walked past numerous branches of McDonald's and seen piles of litter emanating from them in surrounding streets. On occasions I have picked up various pieces of litter and put them in the bin and I have seen only 1 or 2 types that had a logo on them to indicate that they were made of recycled paper.
I have also seen McDonald's own propaganda stating that hygiene regulations prohibit the use of recycled material in packaging which comes into direct contact with food.
I have also seen McDonald's own propaganda acknowledging that HCFC's are a risk to the ozone layer, but that they were going to continue using them for the time being anyway, which I consider to be very irresponsible on their part, and very arrogant in that they obviously consider their profits to be more important than the health and survival of life on this planet.

Diet and McDonald's food

I have read numerous articles, books and pamphlets and watched various documentaries on nutrition and health. This has included a reading a number of Government Health Education Authority pamphlets, which stated the risks associated with a diet high in fat and saturated fat content, and low in fibre and vitamins/minerals. Risks such as cancer and heart disease which obviously are not matters to be taken lightly. Many of the articles and some books specifically mentioned McDonald'd food as being high in fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar and low in fibre and vitamins.

I have seen the Government's Dietary Reference Values which state that no more than 33% of our intake of calories should come from fat, and no more than 10% from saturated fat.
I have seen McDonald's own pamphlet Good Food Nutrition and McDonald's 1985, and at the back of that there are eight typical meal combinations set out with their nutritional values. According to my mathematics none of them would fall within the Government guidelines.
I have also read the paragraph on page 8 about dietary fibre adding bulk to the diet and therefore helping to prevent constipation, the paragraph on page 9 concerning the links between fat consumption and coronary heart disease and the paragraph on page 12 of this pamphlet which acknowledges that there is a considerable amount of evidence about the relationship between a diet high in fat, salt and sugar and low in fibre, and diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and some forms of cancer.

I think it is extremely oppressive of McDonald's to try and force us to prove something that they know fine well is true.

This is just one obvious example of McDonald's throwing its weight around and trying to silence its critics, in the hope that because we have limited finances we will be unable to pay experts for reports, and consequently would 'lose' that point.

I have read the McDonald's Nutrition Guide, and I do not think it makes clear that a diet high in fat, sugar, animal products and salt, and low in fibre, vitamins and minerals is linked with cancers of the breast and bowel, and heart disease.
I have also read articles and books concerning food additives and the possible side effects of those additives. This includes the book `E for Additives' by Maurice Hansen. I have read the McDonald's pamphlet `McDonald's food; The Facts' and have seen that a large number of the items sold by McDonald's contain additives, some of which are listed in E for Additives as having a risk of side effects, and some prohibited in food intended for babies and young children.
I have also read articles about food poisoning which stated that meat was responsible for the majority of cases of food poisoning. I have also read reports of people suffering from food poisoning after having consumed McDonald's food.

Children and Advertising

I have seen a number of McDonald's advertisements, many of them aimed at children, and I think it is fair to say that they portray McDonald's as a 'happy circus-like place where burgers and chips are provided for everybody at any hour of the day'. From my own experiences of being with children, and of their behaviour and habits, and from my own recollection of my childhood, I also think it is fair to say that children are more interested in gimmicks, games and fun, and in sugary and processed food than they are in obtaining a healthy diet.
In addition I think it is true to say that children who have not participated in a certain event, or watched what other children have watched, or had the experiences that other children regularly have, can feel as if they are somehow different to others, and thus sometimes feel that they are not 'normal'.

Since 1982 I have watched the 'Animals Film' a number of times, and in this film shots of 'McDonaldland' are shown, and a representative of McDonald's states 'In McDonaldland there is a hamburger patch, the story opens with Ronald McDonald harvesting hamburgers from the hamburger patch' and 'we (i.e. McDonald's) feel children have a great deal of influence on their parents about where to go to eat, we are probably one of the largest childrens advertisers in the US, we spend the most money on childrens advertising'.

Slaughterhouses, SunValley and Suffering

About twelve years ago I studied Agricultural Science, and as part of these studies I visited slaughterhouses and factory farms. As a result of what I witnessed I became a vegetarian, and I have now been a vegan for eleven years. As stated previously I have watched the Animals Film, and I have watched 'Pandora's Box', both of which convinced me still further of the cruelty and suffering involved in factory farming and slaughter methods. I have also read the Farm Animal Welfare Council (Government appointed body) reports on the Welfare of Animals at the time of slaughter which expressed concern about the welfare of animals and which referred to the frequency of inefficient stunning methods during slaughter, which could result animals having their throats cut whilst still fully conscious.

I have been to Sun Valley Poultry, who supply the Chicken used in McDonald's food products, and have taken photographs of the chickens kept there in broiler sheds. I have also been shown photographs of chickens from Sun Valley being transported in crates, by lorry, prior to slaughter, and have been told of some of the methods used by Sun Valley by first hand witnesses.

I consider that current factory farming and slaughter methods are cruel and that they are also unnecessary, and I consider that it is totally justifiable to call such methods 'torture and murder'. It is irrelevant that McDonald's neither own nor manage slaughterhouses, they place the orders with the firms that do it and so they are responsible.

McDonald's Pay and Working Conditions

Over the years I have spoken with people who have worked at McDonald's, all of them said that pay was low and conditions were bad. I have also read numerous reports and articles about pay and working conditions at McDonald's, and about McDonald's refusal to negotiate with trade unions, and their anti trade union attitude, these articles included quotes attributed to McDonald's management saying words to the effect that they would have nothing to do with Trade Unions.

In October 1990 I went into McDonald's in Seven Sisters Road and enquired about the rates of pay for new employees, the manager wrote the pay rates on the back of a Crew Information form.

I believe that it should be a fundamental right for any employee to be paid a decent wage, and to work in a safe environment without risks to health, and to be treated as a human being and not a robot. I also believe that people should be entitled to join trade unions without fear of losing their job or retribution by their employers.

date signed: July 12, 1993

status: Appeared in court
references: Not applicable/ available
exhibits: Not applicable/ available

transcripts of court appearances:

Full length of the trial

related links: