Day 288 - 28 Oct 96 - Page 24


     
     1
     2   MS. STEEL:   Right.
     3
     4   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What I do not want to do is spend time when
     5        you could be getting on with your submissions just checking
     6        that I know where every document is.  (Pause)
     7
     8   MS. STEEL:   I think when you are considering this section of
     9        the leaflet and McDonald's view of it, I think that the
    10        incident with Veggies should be taken into consideration,
    11        which was that McDonald's complained about just the
    12        heading, the heading "in what way are McDonald's
    13        responsible for torture and murder", and they did not
    14        complain about all the facts that were stated underneath
    15        that heading, and that they were satisfied when Veggies
    16        changed the heading to "slaughter and butchery", rather
    17        than "torture and murder".  But I will deal with that in
    18        more detail later.
    19
    20        I think I have finished on the meaning section.  I was
    21        going to move on to chickens, but it would actually be
    22        helpful if I did not start that until after lunchtime.
    23        I think Mr. Morris has a few additional points he wants to
    24        make about the meanings.
    25
    26   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, very well.
    27
    28   MR. MORRIS:   I want to make the general point about the
    29        McDonald's global position as the world's largest user and
    30        promoter of meat products specified in that section,
    31        responsibility for the general conditions that occur in the
    32        industry.  I will not go into it because that was gone
    33        through in the rainforest section.
    34
    35   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
    36
    37   MR. MORRIS:   The deaths being barbaric, referred to in the
    38        leaflet, the fact sheet, they are barbaric because they are
    39        completely unnecessary.  The animals are not dying
    40        willingly and they are not dying of natural causes or old
    41        age.  It is systematic exploitation and killing of animals
    42        for profit and that, by any honest view, could be described
    43        as barbaric.
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Maybe it could, but, you see, one has to
    46        look at what the actual meaning is, defamatory meaning
    47        which one justifies.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.  You know, I mean ----
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   I mean I quite frankly ---- 
    52 
    53   MR. MORRIS:  ---- is it defamatory to say that an organisation
    54        is responsible for the deaths of millions of sensian beings
    55        that is completely unnecessary and, not only is it
    56        unnecessary, but their whole lives are manipulated and
    57        moulded in order to satisfy that organisation.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is where I wonder, because you may think
    60        that it reflects very badly on the company, but I have to

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