THIS WEEK IN COURT
13th - 17th May 1996
Each week McSpotlight will be bringing you a brief report on the latest developments in the McLibel case.
This week there were new revelations about:
- McDonald's current use of recently-cleared Brazilian rainforest land
- McDonald's UK's use of police, Special Branch, Economic League and at least 7 infiltrators against London Greenpeace.
The Defendants finished cross examination of Paul Preston, President of
McDonald's UK.
Sid Nicholson, McDonald's UK Vice President, formerly in charge of
Personnel and Security (and the Plaintiffs' main representative in Court
each day), testified for the second time in the trial (see Trial News
evidence about employment conditions). Mr Nicholson joined McDonald's in
1983 as Head of Security. Prior to this he had spent 31 years in the police
force, firstly in South Africa, and then in the Metropolitan Police,
reaching the rank of Chief Superintendent.
London Greenpeace infiltrated
Mr Nicholson was questioned in detail about the steps taken by the company
against London Greenpeace and other critics. He admitted that, in 1989 when
considering legal action against the small environmental collective,
McDonald's had hired 2 private investigation agencies (Kings Investigation
Bureau and Bishops) to infiltrate the group. He admitted that at least 7
'enquiry agents' were engaged during the period from October 1989 to January
1991 to participate in meetings and events of the group. (N.B. This included distribution of the London Greenpeace factsheet, the subject of the libel
action. The defendants have argued that this amounts to McDonald's
'consent' to the publication, which would undermine the company's case
against the defendants.)
Mr Nicholson further accepted that the company's agents had stolen letters
sent to the group from the UK and around the world, and that approximately four of the
spies remained in the group after writs were served on the defendants in
order to monitor the response.
Company-police unlawful collaboration
Mr Nicholson admitted that in September 1989 he had a secret meeting at
McDonald's Head Office with two members of Special Branch where he obtained
information about people involved with London Greenpeace. The next month,
during a London Greenpeace picket of McDonald's HQ on October 16th (World
Day of action against McDonald's), two Special Branch agents were in
attendance, one of whom stood with Mr Nicholson passing on information about
protestors. Company documents revealed that McDonald's continued to recieve
information from Special Branch until at least 1994.
Mr Nicholson stated that all McDonald's security department were
ex-policemen, and had a great many contacts in the police from whom they may
get information about protestors. He also admitted that the company had
subscribed to the Economic League which he described as an organisation
which existed "to defend multinationals and the interests of
multinationals". McDonald's had recieved information from the Economic
League about London Greenpeace and the Transnational Information Centre, who
published 'Working for the Big Mac', and that "we may very well have got
reports on union activity". (The Economic League kept a 'blacklist' of
'subversives' - political or trade union activists - gleaned from various
sources, which subscribers could use to vet prospective employees. It was
the subject of great controversy in the late 80's/early 90's and has since
closed down.)
McDonald's agent defects to the defence
McDonald's have refused to identify more than the four agents they intend to
call as witnesses next month. However, during the week the defendants served
the statement of Frances Tiller, one of the other agents, who had been in
contact with them and agreed to be a witness for the defence!
Recently cleared Amazonian rainforest currently used by McDonald's in Brazil
Sue Brandford, a Brazil specialist and expert regarding the social and
economic forces impacting upon the Amazon region, testified for the
defendants. She criticised the cattle ranching industry for causing
environmental damage, and for causing the violent displacement of small
farmers and indigenous peoples. In particular she had visited regions
which McDonald's have admitted as the past or current sources of beef
supplies for their 200 Brazilian stores. For example, she described areas of
Mato Grosso (Sinop, Nova Xavantina and Pontes e Lacerda), which had supplied
McDonald's in the past (1979 - 1982), as areas she had seen being deforested
for cattle ranches in the early 1980s.
Further, she had visited areas in Goias where McDonald's have admitted only
very recently (in a statement from Roberto Morganti, the Director of
McDonald's local hamburger manufacturers, Braslo Ltd) that they STILL obtain
their beef - especially along the River Araguaia and its tributaries. She
had travelled extensively in this region (including towns named by Mr
Morganti such as Jucara, Aruana, Britania, S. Miguel do Araguaia, Porangatu,
Novo Mundo and Crixas etc) and testified that in the early 1970s it was an
area of Amazonian tropical rainforest. Ms Brandford had witnessed it being
cleared and burned for cattle ranching from the mid-1970s up to the
mid-1980s (with indigenous people being forced out). She said forest
clearances continue, but at a slower pace.
This evidence, based on McDonald's own information which the defendants finally forced the company to disclose after 3 years of legal applications, completely nails once and for all the corporation's lies distributed to the public worldwide about never using any beef raised on ex-rainforest or recently-cleared ex-rainforest land.
Last Week in Court
Further details of past weeks in court will be available soon...
15th - 19th April
2nd - 8th March
24th February - 1st March
16th - 23rd February
11th - 16th February
Other This Weeks
