[Imc-chicago-audio] Protest McDonald's This Friday!

[Richard Castro]

In 1990, McDonald’s Corporation sued two members of London Greenpeace for
“libeling” the company.  Why?  They were handing out “What’s Wrong With
McDonald’s?  Everything They Don’t Want You to Know” leaflets. The leaflet
exposed the corporation’s disreputable business practices, including the
exploitation of our children through advertising, its anti-union agenda, and
its promotion of an unhealthy diet.



McDonald’s Corporation hired expensive, high-powered lawyers to quash the
McLibel 2 in court.  David Morris, a single dad and postman, along with
Helen Steel, a gardener, could not afford to hire a comparable lawyer and
legal aid was not provided to citizens in the UK for libel cases.  They were
told they had no chance.



Helen and Dave refused to be intimidated.  They defended themselves in what
turned out to be the longest running trial in English history, and ended up
proving that McDonald’s was, in fact, guilty of exploiting children, its own
workers, and of false nutritional advertising.



Ultimately, they took their case to the European High Court and this
February, changed the libel laws in the UK forever. In the aftermath, the
local news stated that the case was considered to be “The biggest corporate
PR disaster in history.”



Two everyday people stood up for what they believed in and changed their
country for the better.  Now their story is coming to America.  Cinema Libre
Studio is bringing the documentary about their decade long battle to U.S.
theaters this summer.  The film, by director Franny Armstrong, is called
McLibel, and we need your help to tell everyone about it.



On April 15th, a national day of protest will occur across the nation.  If
you, like Helen and Dave, are fed up with false advertising, exploitation of
children, cruelty to animals, damage to our environment, and corporate
abuse, then please join this effort to get the word out.



On this day in Chicago, the CEO of McDonald’s will attend the grand opening
of the new restaurant at 600 N. Clark Street.  To help him celebrate, we
invite organizations in Chicago to do two things: Hand out “What’s Wrong
With McDonald’s?” leaflets when this event starts at 10:00a.m. and step on a
birthday cake in front of the restaurant to “squash” the celebration, just
like Dave and Helen will be doing this same day in the UK..  In unity with
our fellow Chicagoans, we ask people across the nation to do the same in
front of their local McDonald’s.  If you’d like to have your event recorded,
just remember, April 15th is tax day, and there’s no better place to find
news cameras than at your local post office before midnight.



Let’s all unite to fight corporate oppression and tell the nation that
McLibel is coming!



--You can download copies of the “What’s Wrong With McDonald’s?” leaflet at
http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/mclibel/WhatsWrongwithMcDonalds.pdf



--Talk with other McProtestors at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McLibel



--Send us a brief description and digital picture of your event(s) so we can
have them posted.  Send your pictures and words to
cinemalibrestudio at ebcoms.com
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