Day 307 - 27 Nov 96 - Page 49


     
     1   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   It was the last thing which was said on day
     2        303, Tuesday, 19th November, which is now eight days ago.
     3
     4   MR. MORRIS:   I got the impression it was that we would have
     5        Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week off, but I might
     6        be wrong.
     7
     8   MR. RAMPTON:   It does not say that.
     9
    10   MR. MORRIS:   Hang on, the judge is reading.
    11
    12   MR JUSTICE BELL:  What I said was, the effect of it, this.  It
    13        was when you asked for the rest of that week off.  I said
    14         "I will adjourn for Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st
    15        November.  Employment must finish in half an hour or so on
    16        Friday 22nd.  You must finish publication and counterclaim
    17        by the end of today.  Mr. Rampton will do his introduction
    18        on Thursday, 28th, and then I will read his written
    19        submissions in so far as he has prepared them and resume on
    20        Monday 2nd with Mr. Rampton's legal submissions, hoping to
    21        finish with Mr. Rampton's submissions, hoping to finish
    22        those by Friday, 6th December".  Carry on now.
    23
    24   MR. MORRIS:   Were McDonald's under attack; is it credible that
    25        they were under attack; and to what extent were they under
    26        attack?   Now, McDonald's cannot be under attack.  For a
    27        start, they are a multi-national corporation with huge
    28        presence and resources and able to put themselves over in
    29        any way, shape or form they wish to and they are saying
    30        that they have propelled themselves into the public eye
    31        and, therefore, criticisms are part and parcel of what they
    32        should expect as part of that.
    33
    34        But was there an attack such as to justify their claim of
    35        self-defence?   Was it some particularly strong and current
    36        attack?  What was this attack that they have claimed they
    37        had to defend themselves against?   The fact sheet had not
    38        been distributed as far as they know by anybody since 1990,
    39        not counting of course the Veggies fact sheet which has
    40        been distributed continuously, with their acceptance, since
    41        1987, 1988.
    42
    43        In fact, I was just checking again, this is a side point, I
    44        am checking again the Veggies' apology which was on 6th May
    45        1988, second page, and they did not apologise for anything
    46        in the fact sheet being untrue at all.  What they said was,
    47        "We are now willing to apologise for having repeated
    48        claims for which we have been unable to trace specific
    49        evidence concerning the connection with McDonald's and the
    50        raising of beef on former rainforests", which we now say 
    51        anyway we have proven.  But they did not apologise for 
    52        saying something that was wrong, just that they did not 
    53        have the specific proof at the time and, of course, the
    54        murder and torture matter they just said, "We are willing
    55        to concede it is not yet widely used in connection with the
    56        killing of animals, although by our standards it is indeed
    57        the case".
    58
    59        So there was nothing at all which was any indication that a
    60        single word in the London Greenpeace fact sheet was even

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