BURGER CHAINED!! - from SchNEWS

20 years since the first ever ‘Day of Action against McDonald’s’, things are looking up for would be leaflet distributors. This weeks European court’s ruling that the ‘McLibel’ defendants (combined income: £3,500 per year) did not get a fair trial because of McDonald’s vastly superior financial resources (£2,000 a day for one barrister), has led to a flurry of discussion about whether skint activists will be able to get legal aid from the government if they’re sued by big business. The fact that McDonalds were so desperate to stop a bunch of anarchists distributing the infamous “What’s wrong with McDonalds?” leaflet is, more importantly, a real testament to the power of grassroots activism and how much of a threat it poses to the multinationals that are so intent on trashing the planet. In fact, leaflets given out in thousands when McDonalds started to sue, are now distributed in millions all over the world - direct action won the free speech battle.

During the original trial, the burger chain was so desperate to silence its critics it used spies to infiltrate activist groups. These spooks followed people home, nicked their post and even ended up handing out anti-McDonald’s leaflets! The multinational has a long history of using the courts to silence its critics. And not just other activists, but biology professors, Channel 4 TV, Trade Unions, the Guardian and even a bunch of tofu munching hippies making “McVegan” t-shirts.

McDonald’s worst nightmares, Dave Morris and Helen Steel, have long been involved in community activism, working on grassroots campaigns since the 1980s, including nuclear disarmament, corporate non-accountability, anti poll tax and animal rights. SchNEWS can also exclusively reveal that Dave Morris has been involved in local residents groups. Controversial, eh? Dave says that his activism is about helping to build up local community mutual aid and solidarity networks, encouraging people to stand up for themselves and to take control of all decision-making and resources themselves. We reckon he should be bloody locked up.

This latest court battle is sure to drive another nail into the McCoffin - something which seemed impossible a few years back. The burger giant is shrinking: it announced the closure of almost 200 stores in 2002 after taking an 11% dive in profits. A year later it lost £20m selling off its café chain, “Aroma”. Their latest promotions for ‘healthy’ salads, apples, yogurts and Quorn burgers are no match for the likes of movies like ‘Supersize Me.” Nor is this the first victory against the company. At the original trial the court ruled that McDonald’s “exploited children”, were “culpably responsible for animal cruelty”; deceptively promoted their food as nutritious and helped to depress wages in the catering trade. SchNEWS wonders when the “What’s wrong with Tescos?” leaflet will be hitting the streets.

For more info on the court case and campaigns against the scary clown... click here