THIS WEEK OUT OF COURT
16th - 23rd February 1996
Each week McSpotlight will be updating you on worldwide events involving McDonald's, McLibel and multinationals in general.
Launch of McSpotlight
The big event this week was of course the launch of the McSpotlight Web site. This took place at 10.30am outside the McDonald's in London's Leicester Square - where the McLibel Two activated McSpotlight from a laptop computer connected to the Internet via a mobile phone.
That afternoon a press conference was held at the nearby Cyberia Internet cafe, with the McLibel Two, nutritionist Peter Cox, and volunteers from the McInformation Network answering questions from journalists and giving live demonstrations of the site.
Kentucky Fried Chicken, India
Last week we reported that the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in Bangalore, India, had been ransacked by farmers angry at the threat it presented to their livelihoods and culture.
Over 100 were arrested, including Professor Nanjundaswamy, leader of the Karnataka State Farmers Association. He was later released, but the legal battle is to continue - and the other 101 farmers arrested are still in police custody. Meanwhile protests by the farmers are continuing.
Protests - Frieburg, Germany
Word was recently received of an anti-McDonald's demonstration in Germany in January. Between 500 and 600 people attending an environmental conference protested outside a store in Freiberg, completely blocking the entrance.
'What's Wrong with McDonald's' leaflets in German were handed out, anti-McDonald's stickers were put on the windows, and discarded McDonald's packaging was thrown into the store.
Protests - Penzance, England
Wednesday 14 February: McDonald's' planning application to open a drive-thru outside Penzance, Cornwall ran into trouble. The result of the local council's planning meeting was a recommendation to refuse the request.
There is still hope, however. The full plenary committee of the council may yet give approval in a meeting scheduled for 5 March. Substantial opposition is reported from local residents, environmentalists and others, and the controversy was reported on the front page of 'The Cornishman' newspaper last week.
Previous 'This Weeks'
11 - 16th Feb
