Day 305 - 25 Nov 96 - Page 38


     
     1   MS. STEEL:   That is if it was said at all.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  If it was said at all -- which we do not think it
     4        was.
     5
     6   MS. STEEL:   As opposed to being a figment of Mr. Clare's
     7        imagination.
     8
     9        In paragraph 4 of Mr. Clare's third statement -- this is in
    10        relation to the meeting on 4th January 1990, which was the
    11        first meeting he attended -- he said that, in his view, it
    12        was clear that McDonald's were still a main target of the
    13        group.  He gave various details of the events or things
    14        occurring which he said backed that up.
    15
    16        One of the things that he was relying on was that there was
    17        going to be an anti-McDonald's picket outside the
    18        Chapel Market branch of McDonald's in Islington.  In
    19        reality, we heard from Mr. Gravett that that was actually a
    20        picket organised by Hackney and Islington Animal Rights,
    21        not by London Greenpeace.  All that really left, in terms
    22        of what his assertion was based on, was that people were
    23        writing in letters asking about McDonald's, and so
    24        anti-McDonald's leaflets would be sent out in reply.
    25
    26        Also, he claimed that the next public meeting was going to
    27        be a McDonald's campaign meeting.  As we heard from
    28        Mr. Pocklington and other witnesses, in fact the next
    29        meeting was about the future of the group as a whole and
    30        was not a McDonald's campaign meeting.  The McDonald's
    31        campaign would have been one small part of that meeting.
    32
    33        It is clear that the statement that McDonald's was still a
    34        main target of the group was basically a comment from the
    35        witness; and then, in any event, there is no evidence of me
    36        making any comment in relation to that, no evidence that
    37        I said anything.  So, even if that had been true, it would
    38        not be evidence against me.
    39
    40        Just a quick point in relation to paragraph 9.1B of
    41        Mr. Clare's third statement, which related to the meeting
    42        of 12th April 1990, where he says: "Paul said he was
    43        organising the reprinting of more leaflets on all LGP
    44        topics, which I presumed included the anti-McDonald's
    45        leaflets."  Just to point out that, obviously, a
    46        presumption is not any evidence, and that, in common with
    47        his statement that I had admitted (as he claimed) that
    48        I was responsible for all anti-McDonald's leaflets, this is
    49        probably another exaggeration by Mr. Clare, when
    50        Mr. Gravett mentioned getting some leaflets reprinted and 
    51        Mr. Clare had interpreted it as all the leaflets.  In any 
    52        event, there is absolutely no evidence that the London 
    53        Greenpeace fact sheet about McDonald's was going to be
    54        reprinted; and, in fact, all the evidence is to the
    55        contrary, because Mr. Gravett said the last time it was
    56        reprinted was in 1987.
    57
    58        Just, really, to finish off on Mr. Clare, our view is that
    59        absolutely no weight should be attached to his evidence.
    60        He attended at least 19 meetings of London Greenpeace --

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