Day 275 - 08 Jul 96 - Page 11
1 went to some of the public meetings during 1987, but not
2 all of them by a long way. And then, as I say, I started
3 regularly attending London Greenpeace meetings in 1988.
4
5 "I did not have anything at all to do with the writing
6 or production of the leaflet complained of, the London
7 Greenpeace anti-McDonald's fact sheet. When I first
8 started attending London Greenpeace meetings the leaflet
9 was already in circulation and I do not know who the author
10 or authors are.
11
12 "From the time when I started attending meetings,
13 whenever the subject came up about the fact sheet it was
14 always said that the person, or persons, who had written
15 the leaflet had left the group and were no longer
16 involved. McDonald's were, and are, just one of the many
17 multinationals destroying the environment and exploiting
18 people and animals. I had no particular grudge against
19 McDonald's, although I do find some of their propaganda and
20 advertising particularly sickening. When I was informed of
21 pickets of McDonald's stores and head office I decided to
22 attend as it seemed that the aims of the campaign were
23 consistent with my own. The aim being of a society without
24 exploitation and oppression, and obviously a world without
25 multinationals. I was not involved in organising any of
26 these anti-McDonald's protests prior to service of writs,
27 prior to service of the writs. My only involvement was to
28 attend the pickets.
29
30 "On 16th October 1989 I attended a picket of
31 McDonald's head office in Finchley. I believe that for
32 part of the time I was holding the London Greenpeace
33 banner. I also recall taking some photographs. The
34 photographs that I took are the black and white
35 photographs, which are pretty terrible, which are in tab 6
36 of pink 2. All the black and white photographs were taken
37 with my camera, although Mr. Clarke actually took some of
38 the ones that I appear in because I just gave him my camera
39 for a few minutes. I do not remember handing out any
40 leaflets on this picket and I do not remember ever having
41 handed out the fact sheet which is the subject of this
42 liable case as it was considered too lengthy to hand out,
43 and it was my understanding that it was saved specifically
44 for persons who asked for more information about
45 McDonald's.
46
47 "It is my case -- well, I can recall on several
48 occasions that when the history of the anti-McDonald's
49 campaign was gone through at London Greenpeace meetings,
50 that it was said that there has been a decision, I do not
51 know that a date was given but it was before I got involved
52 in the group, that the fact sheet would not be handed out
53 on demonstrations because of the cost of printing it and
54 because of the fact that it is too much for somebody to
55 take in just handing it on the street and they would be
56 inclined not to bother reading it, whereas if you have got
57 something short then they are more likely to sort of cast
58 their eye over it and read it.
59
60 "The evidence of Mr. Carol and Mr. Nicholson that I
