McLibel

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Scheduled for release in U.S. theaters on June 10, "McLibel" is the
inspiring story of Helen Steel and Dave Morris, two London environmental
activists who were sued for libel by the fast food giant in 1990 after
their group had been infiltrated by undercover agents. The trial, which was
the longest in British history, heard expert witnesses from both sides
evaluating whether McDonalds was guilty of the following offenses:

--Damage to the environment, including the use of non-recyclable packaging
and wholesale destruction of the environment.

--Damage to the human organism through bad nutrition, including obesity and
cancer.

--Assaults on working people through low pay and speedup.

--Victimization of children by bombarding television shows with fast food
ads featuring Ronald McDonald.

--Cruelty to animals who are slaughtered as if they were inanimate objects.

The odds were against the defendants from the beginning. British libel laws
are considered plaintiff-friendly since the words of the defendant are
considered false until proven otherwise. In the case of Helen Steel and
Dave Morris, the words were those found in a 1986 brochure that can be read
here:
<http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/pretrial/factsheet.html>http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/pretrial/factsheet.html.
(More about this website momentarily.)

McDonald's had taken advantage of British libel laws to intimidate any news
outlet that aired unfavorable reports. If a newspaper or TV station would
say 'mea culpa,' the libel suit would be withdrawn. So, for example,
Channel 4 television apologized in High Court for a 1990 program implying
that McDonald's was responsible for rainforest destruction in Costa Rica.
Despite their mild-mannered demeanor, Steel and Morris decided that they
would rather fight than grovel.

Besides being hampered by British libel laws, they were at a disadvantage
in how they were to be represented at court. Legal aid was only available
for criminal cases, so they had to scuffle around to find legal defense.
Meanwhile, McDonald's paid twenty million dollars for its legal team and
lined up dozens of "expert witnesses" cut from the same cloth as those who
used to testify that smoking cigarettes was harmless. Eventually, the two
defendants secured the pro bono services of Attorney Keir Starmer and lined
up their own expert witnesses, who are interviewed throughout the film.

Another disadvantage was that the judge decided to make this a jury-less
trial. This meant that the two rather plebian defendants (Helen Steel was a
gardener and busdriver, Dave Morris a postman) were at the mercy of an
upper-class judge.

One of their most powerful witnesses was Howard Lyman, a former cattle
rancher who had grown disgusted with the treatment of animals in this
highly commodified food-chain and the consequences of commercial farming on
his own health and the consumer. After developing a tumor on his spine that
he was convinced was brought on by chemical additives on his land, he
changed his life radically. He became a vegan and an outspoken critic of
industrial ranching. In addition to his role as a witness at the McLibel's
trial, he was a guest on Oprah Winfrey's TV show where he warned about the
dangers of Mad Cow disease. Information about Howard Lyman's book "The Mad
Cowboy" and a documentary based on his life can be seen at:
<http://www.madcowboy.com/>http://www.madcowboy.com/

Even though he was not a witness, Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food
Nation," is heard throughout the documentary. Schlosser is clearly grounded
in a class analysis. His critique of McDonald's focuses on the corporate
drive to maximize profit without concern for the environment, the consumer
or the worker. In an excerpt from his book on the McSpotlight website, we
learn how Burger King, another fast food giant, gets its strawberry
milkshake to taste just right:

"A typical artificial strawberry flavour, such as that found in a Burger
King strawberry milk shake, contains the following ingredients: amyl
acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl
acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl
valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate,
ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl
heptylate, ethlyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate,
ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butonone
(10% solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl
butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylactophenone, methyl
anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate,
methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli
essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol,
rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin and solvent."

Based solely on the strength of their testimony and that of the expert
witnesses, Steel and Morris wound up with a partial victory. They were
forced to pay 40 thousand pounds for certain "libelous" charges they had
made, but not others. Immediately after the verdict was announced, Steel
and Morris held a press conference announcing that they would rather go to
jail than pay a penny to McDonald's. Publicity surrounded the trial
amounted to a PR disaster for the fast food giant. Not only did they back
off from collecting their libel award, they decided not to press forward
with an injunction against further leafleting in front of their stores.

On September 20, 2000 Steel and Morris launched their own case against the
British government in the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the
McLibel trial and British libel laws violated the European Convention on
Human Rights Article 6 (Right to a Fair Trial) and Article 10 (Right to
Freedom of Expression). The film shows the two traveling to Strasbourg to
press their case.

The film ends on a triumphant note on February 15th of this year, when the
McLibel two received an email notification that the European Court had
decided in their favor. Internet addicts will get a big kick out of this
scene as you see Steel and Morris waiting anxiously to receive email via
Eudora, while weeding through spam to get the message that they were expecting.

Indeed, the Internet was critical to this entire campaign. The film shows
the two deliberating on how to get their message out when the corporate
media was obviously intent on keeping their anti-corporate message to the
margins. In 1996 they hit upon the idea of setting up a website, which is
one of the more important environmental resources on the Internet.

Although "Super Size Me" garnered excellent and well-deserved reviews (and
is referred to briefly in "McLibel"), I found "McLibel" to be a more
compelling and useful film. Unlike Morgan Spurlock, Helen Steel and Dave
Morris are less intent on being "personalities." With their self-effacing
and sincere manner, they put the focus on getting out the truth rather than
striking dramatic poses. They are the quintessential activists of the 1990s
who came into prominence as part of the anti-globalization movement. With
their emphasis on democratic control and harmony between humanity and
nature, they make the case for abolition of private property without ever
resorting to dogmatic formulations. The Marxist left can surely learn from
such activists.

"McLibel" was directed by Fanny Armstrong with help from legendary British
director Ken Loach, who was responsible for dramatic reenactments of the
trial. For screening information in the U.S., go to
<http://cinemalibrestudio.com/>http://cinemalibrestudio.com/. For those in
Great Britain and elsewhere, a DVD of the film can be ordered be ordered
from
<http://www.spannerfilms.net/?lid=161>http://www.spannerfilms.net/?lid=161.



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