McLibel case enters a new year

By Norman Taylor The McDonald's libel case is the longest in British history. It started in July '94, when young unemployed people Dave Morris and Helen Steele issued a leaflet which said the corporation was responsible for acts of environmental destruction and that its food was linked to heart disease and cancer. Morris and Steele have had to study law unendingly. They have refused to be intimidated by the $24 billion a year fast food giant. The two have worldwide support, and the company must bitterly regret its folly in becoming involved. The case is costing McDonald's &163;5000 a day. Critics of such a big corporation are usually quickly silenced by a threat of court action which could soon bankrupt the average person. So the daily proceedings in the High Court in the Strand have the public fascinated and McDonald's dismayed. There are 20,000 pages of documentation involved. The costs of organising the appearance of witnesses, some from overseas, are heavy but donations arrive from around the world. The leaflet that started it all was headed, "What's wrong with McDonald's? — Everything they don't want you to know." It ends, "Let's show that opposition to injustice can never be silenced and that any empire built on exploitation, suffering and lies can be undermined ... censorship and intimidation must never be allowed to succeed". More than a million have been distributed. McDonald's creates an incredible 10 million kilos of throwaway material each year in the UK alone. Their UK head, Mike Love, was Margaret Thatchers full-time Conservative Party agent in Finchley. The company employers managers with a military background to "bring a sense of discipline". They are under constant pressure to keep labour costs down or face dismissal. Though A$1 billion is spent on advertising annually, not a cent is paid for overtime. Annual staff turnover is around 200%. McDonald's has 73 convictions in relation to the employment of young people. Accidents in the kitchen are frequent, mostly burns. Because there is no legally enforced minimum wage in Britain, McDonald's can pay what it likes, helping to depress wage levels in the catering trade still further. However, the David and Goliath battle worries McDonald's. It has twice asked for discussions with the defendants, and members of the board of directors have flown into London at 24 hours' notice. They are extremely anxious to finalise, but the young defendants are laying down conditions which include agreement not to sue anyone making similar accusations, apologies to those they have sued in the past and a substantial sum to a mutually agreed third party in lieu of compensation to these defendants. After the "What's wrong with McDonald's" leaflets appeared, the company issued leaflets calling their critics liars. Morris and Steele took out a counterclaim for libel this is running concurrently with the action against them. They are denied legal aid and conduct their own defence against top libel lawyers. Further information from and donations to: McLibel Support Campaign, 5 Caledonian Rd, London Nl 9DX.