Day 307 - 27 Nov 96 - Page 34
1 an inference that because somebody attends a demonstration
2 they organised it. It is a ridiculous inference to draw.
3
4 In terms of October 1990 demonstration, which was the only
5 demonstration remaining, this one Mr. Nicholson said that
6 he considered that we were the organisers, and this is all
7 from the same day's evidence. Day 258, from page 37
8 onwards. I don't know which page this particular part is
9 on. It would be shortly after that. I asked him, he had
10 already said that by October 1990 he considered myself and
11 Mr. Gravett were the organisers and that he had also said
12 "and others", so I then said, "Which others are you
13 referring to?" He said, "Mr. Morris and the other two
14 names that were on the writs." That was Farrell, and he
15 could not remember the other name. Anyway, it is the five
16 names on the writs.
17
18 I asked him, "What was the basis of that?" and he said,
19 "The strength of the agencies' reports." I said, "The
20 notes that have been disclosed, the evidence that is in
21 front of us from the inquiries agents, from the statements
22 and their notes?" He said, "Yes", that was what he was
23 referring to. I said, "You are not referring to any other
24 notes or any other evidence that we have not seen?" and he
25 said, "No."
26
27 So the sole demonstration which Mr. Nicholson is asserting
28 on behalf of the Plaintiffs that we organised is the
29 October 1990 picket of head office, and the basis for that
30 is the evidence in the spies' statements and in their
31 notes. We would say it is perfectly plain from that that
32 there is absolutely no evidence to substantiate either
33 myself or Mr. Morris being an organiser of that
34 demonstration, and, in Mr. Morris's case, you should bear
35 in mind that it is accepted on behalf of the Plaintiffs
36 that he did not even attend that demonstration.
37
38 So this assertion in their press release that we were the
39 organisers of various demonstrations and that we had a
40 leading role in the campaign is just not backed up by any
41 evidence whatsoever in this case, and the reality is that
42 all the evidence shows the opposite, that Mr. Gravett said
43 that he had been responsible for organising the campaign.
44
45 Again, the only evidence in relation to organisation of
46 anti-McDonald's fairs, the only source of evidence about
47 that, can be from either the spies' evidence or the
48 evidence of Defence witnesses and we would say on the basis
49 of -- well, there is not sufficient basis, there is not any
50 basis, for saying that we organised the anti-McDonald's
51 fairs going from the evidence of the spies, and that from
52 the evidence of the Defence it is the opposite, that we
53 were not involved in organising the anti-McDonald's fairs.
54 Mr. Gravett organised the anti-McDonald's fairs with help
55 from Charlie, for example, and the evidence is that myself
56 and Mr. Morris were not involved in organising them.
57 Actually, for that matter, that is not just the evidence of
58 Defence witnesses; that is the evidence of Mr. Pocklington
59 who attended the fair as well.
60
