Protests Against McDonald's Continue to Spread

[Guest guest]

.. Protests against McDonald's continue to spread

 

 

USA - At McDonald's Shareholders AGM in Chicago on

17th May, activists with shares grilled members of the

Corporation's Board of Directors about the

exploitation of store workers, about the

exploitation of workers in China to produce 'happy

meal' toys for the junk food chain, about the genetic

engineering of some foods used in McDonald's products,

about animal suffering and about the growing protests

against their stores around the world (about

which McDonald's Chief Executive, Jack Greenberg

replied: that the protests 'are very much on our

minds. ... I take these issues seriously. ... We are a

convenient target.')

 

GERMANY - In Munich, Germany, on the 1st May about

60 activists broke away from a Mayday Rally and

occupied the biggest McDonalds in Europe, unfurling

banners saying 'McExploitation', 'McDeforestation',

'McWorkingclassenemy', 'WorldWideResistance' and

'People before profit'.

 

 

PHILLIPINES - In Davao City, on March 10th

McDonald's store at Bahada was picketted. A

participant reported: 'The people in Davao City was

cultured shock, many of them were interested and

kept on asking questions that was confusing. We also

brought placards saying " NO TO GENETICALLY ENGINEERED

FOOD " , " STOP MAKING FRANKENSTIEN FOOD " , " McCRUELTY " ,

McEXPLIOTATION, " PEOPLE NOT PROFIT " .'

 

 

ISRAEL - In Tel Aviv, May 1st 2001 - May Day was

celebrated by Israel by a wide coalition of movements

for social justice, environmental responsibility,

human rights and animal rights. Actions included

vigils in front of banks and financial

institutions - but also in front of McDonald's and

Burger-King. Animal rights activists later put the

heads of slaughtered cows in front of a McDonald's

store. 5 people were arrested, protesters blocked

the traffic demanding their release, and

violent police attacks lead to clashes into the early

evening and 5 further arrests. Despite this the sit-in

in the road continued until police finally agreed to

release all 10 protestors.

 

McDonald's workers organise and fight back

 

 

In Wiesbaden, McDonald's workers have been getting

organised. A spokesperson working there explains the

situation in February this year (to the paper 'junge

Welt'):

 

Antonio Bareiro: We have built up a good labour

organisation here in the Wiesbaden branch office in

Mainz street within three years. Almost 80 per cent of

the about 70 people, who have worked in the branch

office which closed on the 31st December 2000, were

organised. This is the point why this branch office

got shut down. McDonald said that this branch office

is 'ungovernable'. The shut-down had nothing to do

with the economic situation, in fact the opposite

case. After the numbers, which I have seen, our

branch office had a constant sales volume. A thorn in

the eye was our organisation and the good cooperation

of the different works committees in the area.

 

 

NGG labour union secretary Jürgen Hinzer: When we

began three years ago to start elections for spokesmen

on behalf of the workers, McDonalds tried with all

force to prevent these. After that, there was a

council nevertheless, than they applied

considerable pressure. McDonalds has never put up with

having a staff here who looked after their labour

rights. When McDonalds didn't make headway with the

pressure and sackings, they simply closed this branch

office. However, the employees refused to be

intimidated.

 

 

The courage of this staff is enormous, with

colleagues from Latin America, from Africa and Asia.

We have demonstrated again and again together. The

highlight, up to now, was, that we carried out a

declaration in front of the head office in Munich -

that hasn't taken place before in the history of

McDonalds Germany. We will fight on legal track and

apply more pressure politically, too.

 

 

Bareiro: We try mainly to sensitise the public and

draw attention to the fact how they have treated us

there.At the court, specialised in work issues, in

Wiesbaden, we have obtained an interim order against

the sackings. We will fight for our rights further and

try everything.

 

Hinzer: There is a wide range of people in town,

that supports our request. We got an invitation of the

French labour union CGT to take part in a

demonstration on February 24th in Paris where there is

a demonstration because of McDonalds- the first strike

at McDonalds in Paris.

 

Contact: McDonald's Workers Resistance -

 

mwrposse

 

 

Vegetarian Uproar vs McDonald's in USA and India

McDonald's admits it has lied to the public for 10

years over beef flavouring in it's fries

 

 

On May 24th 2001 faced with a multi-million dollar

law suit in the USA brought by concerned vegetarians,

McDonald's finally admitted, that it has lied to the

public for the last 10 years. In 1990 McDonald's had

announced that it would no longer use beef tallow for

cooking its fries, making them acceptable to

vegetarians. However, the company has now conceded

that since that time its US fries have had beef

extract flavouring added at the processing stage,

before later being cooked in their stores.

 

Earlier in May, in Bombay, India, a Hindu group

vandalized a McDonald's restaurant in protest against

the use of beef flavoring in the chain's US French

fries. Most of India's Hindus - 85 percent of the

population - are vegetarians. Restaurant customers

fled, as members of the Bajrang Dal charged into the

 

restaurant in Thane, a northeastern Bombay suburb, and

smashed furniture and ceiling lights. In a southern

suburb other protestors shouted slogans and smeared

cow dung on the restaurant's mascot.

 

 

In solidarity,

 

 

McLibel Support Campaign

 

 

14th June 2001

 

 

 

 

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