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How did you get involved in this whole business?
Well, I heard about the McLibel case while I was a trainee lawyer
working for a large British solicitors' firm. It interested me because it
combined my interest in the law with issues I feel passionately about.
So I started going to meetings of the McLibel Support Campaign in early
1994 and quickly became involved in the Campaign.
It sounds as though you became very involved. What happened?
Very soon after I started going to meetings, I became heavily
involved. The McLibel Support Campaign office was being set up at the
time so it needed a co-ordinator. I volunteered to take on that task and
it quickly became a full time job. By the time my two year contract with
the law firm came to an end in September 1994, it seemed the natural
thing to come and work for McLibel full-time as a volunteer. That's what I
have been doing for the last two years.
What does the support group do?
Well, the McLibel Support Campaign was set up shortly after the
writs were served on Helen and Dave in 1990 and it's there to generate
solidarity and financial backing for Helen and Dave and also to continue the
campaign against McDonald's that was started by London Greenpeace in the 1980's.
So what sort of numbers are we talking about here?
Fundamentally,
the anti-McDonald's movement around the world is a grassroots movement, and
we are supporting and assisting that movement as well as helping Helen &
Dave in their courtcase against the company
There's about 15 to 20 people who are closely involved in
the McLibel Support Campaign on a day-to-day basis, then there's about
another 90 to 100 people in London who help out with with different tasks
from time to time. Beyond that there are thousands of people in this
country campaigning against McDonald's with whom we are in touch. We also
have support groups in several other countries and we are in touch with
supporters campaigning against McDonalds around the world. Fundamentally,
the anti-McDonald's movement around the world is a grassroots movement, and
we are supporting and assisting that movement as well as helping Helen &
Dave in their courtcase against the company.
It's an awful lot of commitment by a lot of people - what's the
motivation behind it?
The reason we're doing this is because fundamentally we feel
that McDonald's is a bad thing in the world - they are exploiting people,
animals and the environment. Also, the fact that they're trying to silence
their critics through this legal action makes them particularly obnoxious
to a lot of people. I think these two aspects are why the Campaign has been
going from strength to strength over the last five years.
The reason we're doing this is because fundamentally we feel
that McDonald's is a bad thing in the world - they are exploiting people,
animals and the environment
You obviously must have felt about it very strongly to have given up
your job prospects for a few years?
Yes, well, I think it's a unique opportunity really. I think this
situation will only occur once in my lifetime: having a multinational
company in the dock being forced to justify what it does around the world,
and with its top executives being cross-examined on oath by campaigners.
You mentioned finances. How has the campaign been funded and what sort
of sums are we talking about?
The McLibel Support Campaign has been funded entirely from donations
from members of the public. Just ordinary people sending in whatever they
can afford to make sure that the Defence is funded and that the campaign
against McDonald's continues. There have been a few well-known people
who've given some money, such as Linda McCartney, who gave a thousand pounds
a few years ago, but the vast majority of donations have come from ordinary
members of the public.
What sort of total have you got, and is it enough to keep you going?
Well, over 5 years Helen and Dave have spent about 30,000 pounds on
legal costs and we've probably spent half as much again on other campaign
expenses. So not a lot of money really, considering how much McDonald's
spends on advertising and promotions. It's also about equal to the amount
that McDonald's is spending on the case in a few days.
Has that money been spent on paying the Campaign staff?
No. All the people who work with the Campaign are doing it for free
as volunteers because they feel it's important. No-one in the Campaign is paid.
So it sounds like quite a lot of money - 30,000 pounds. What has that
been spent on?
The 30,000 pounds has mainly gone on the expenses in getting
witnesses to court (though none of the witnesses have been paid for giving
evidence) and on paying for the official court transcripts. Then there's
administrative expenses on top of that. However, none of the money has gone
on paying salaries to any people who are involved in the campaign because
everyone is working as a volunteer.
The 30,000 pounds has mainly gone on the expenses in getting
witnesses to court (though none of the witnesses have been paid for giving
evidence) and on paying for the official court transcripts
So let's just take an average week if we could. What sort of things is
the Campaign team doing in order to support Helen and Dave?
Well, we produce a lot of campaigning leaflets and detailed
summaries of the evidence in the case. There are many people who write to
us or phone asking for information and we send off information packs to
them, and we also handle bulk orders for "What's Wrong With McDonald's?
"
leaflets. In addition, we have a range of merchandise which we sell on
stalls and by mail order. Many journalists call us wanting to interview
Helen and Dave or do various stories for the TV or print media, so we
co-ordinate that and make sure that they're fully informed of what's going
on and organise interviews when appropriate. Now we're also linked up to
the Internet so we're receiving e-mails, keeping in touch with people that
way and with the people running the McSpotlight website. We also do a lot
of outreach work by having information stalls at indoor and outdoor events
(such as festivals), and by sending speakers to address conferences, group
meetings, etc.
So in a nutshell?
We respond to any requests for information or bulk orders for
leaflets from the public and we also keep in touch with journalists by
sending out press releases and so on. In addition, we handle any requests
for interviews.
So there isn't legal work as such, helping Dave and Helen prepare for
the next day in the case?
No, not from this office, not by the Campaign. There are lawyers
who help Helen and Dave on an informal basis, but they don't work out of
this office. Helen & Dave do the vast amount of the legal work and
preparation themselves.
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