Day 276 - 09 Jul 96 - Page 31
1 and no legal experience.
2
3 On the next page of the document, if I just say that
4 in the second paragraph obviously McDonald's say that the
5 leaflet has been distributed extensively in and around
6 McDonald's restaurants since 1984, not just in the UK but
7 worldwide to the extent that its contents have been
8 reported in the media, in schools and even in a church
9 magazine. Well, we know that that is not true. That the
10 leaflet was not produced until around about October 1986
11 and that the one that was reproduced in a church magazine
12 was in fact the Veggies fact sheet which McDonald's
13 themselves had effectively sanctioned by agreeing that if
14 they made limited changes there was not any other problem
15 with the leaflet.
16
17 There are several references in the next few
18 paragraphs to McDonald's taking action to correct these
19 lies, and that McDonald's has no choice but to stop these
20 lies, and then in the fourth paragraph they say,
21 "McDonald's has no choice therefore but to take steps to
22 stop these lies otherwise the group will continue to
23 deceive the public. The group is not incorporated,
24 therefore it was only possible for McDonald's action to be
25 against those individuals who were responsible for
26 distributing the leaflet and who chose to defend it".
27
28 So there is a clear statement there that McDonald's
29 are accusing us personally of deceiving the public, which
30 is something that I find extremely offensive. They are
31 clearly saying that we are deliberately deceiving the
32 public and we know that the leaflets are lies, especially
33 since they have written to us so many times that the
34 leaflets are untrue. Obviously, as far as we are concerned
35 that is completely untrue and, as we have seen on the
36 evidence so far, that is completely untrue.
37
38 Firstly, I believe that the fact sheet is true.
39 Secondly, it was out of stock by the time the writs were
40 served on us and so it could not be being distributed by
41 London Greenpeace or by us after that date. Thirdly, the
42 leaflets that are being circulated to this day, and since
43 writs were served, are A5 leaflets which I certainly
44 believe to be true. It is important to me as a campaigner
45 to be trusted and it is important to me to put out truthful
46 information, and I would never distribute something which I
47 did not believe to be true.
48
49 It is important to me that I am not publicly accused.
50 I do find it offensive to be publicly accused of
51 deliberately deceiving the public on matters of great
52 public importance, and I state categorically I would never
53 deliberately deceive the public on matters of such public
54 importance as health, working conditions, the environment,
55 animal welfare, and so on. They are just far too important
56 things. I do not know whether you want me to stop at this
57 point?
58
59 Q. Well, I was not stopping you in case you wanted to complete
60 what you wanted to say about that particular document?
