Day 245 - 07 May 96 - Page 68
1 MS. STEEL: I know but they do relate.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, but stick on one and then go to the
4 other I suggest.
5
6 MS. STEEL: (To the witness): When people make these criticisms,
7 can you not understand that they might want to campaign
8 against McDonald's because they believe that McDonald's is
9 doing those things and they do not like the fact that
10 McDonald's is doing them?
11 A. I believe they have a right to campaign against
12 McDonald's if they wish but not for the wrong reasons, not
13 for things we did not do. I think we have a right to
14 defend ourselves and we should do.
15
16 Q. If people do not believe in what they are criticising
17 McDonald's for, why should they want to criticise
18 McDonald's?
19 A. I have no idea. You have to ask them.
20
21 Q. There is no reason, is there?
22 A. You will have to ask them
23
24 Q. The reason people criticise McDonald's is because they
25 believe the criticisms are true?
26 A. I do not know whether that is universally so or not.
27
28 Q. You would accept that it could be so?
29 A. It could be so.
30
31 Q. Right. And that it could be so in relation to myself and
32 Mr. Morris?
33 A. No, not given the aims and objectives of London
34 Greenpeace, that which is written by yourselves.
35
36 Q. If I just say it is not written by ourselves, but if we
37 look at what it says. All it says is ----
38 A. Where are we going now?
39
40 Q. When you talk about: "Smashing a multi-national that
41 epitomises everything we despise, a junk culture, the
42 deadly banality of capitalism", that that is about the
43 effects of basically a company being motivated by profit,
44 and profit alone, to the extent that it basically does not
45 care about exploitation of people, animals and the
46 environment?
47 A. Well, that is just not true.
48
49 Q. No, but the point I am putting to you is that that is the
50 reason why people want to criticise McDonald's because they
51 think that they are putting profit before people, animals
52 and the environment?
53 A. It could be a reason, but it is not true.
54
55 Q. You have said in your statement that despite the fact that
56 you have provided us with numerous documents and witness
57 statements refuting, you say, their allegations, refuting
58 the allegations in the fact sheet, the Defendants
59 throughout the litigation have persistently reaffirmed the
60 allegations made in the leaflet.
