Glasgow based McDonalds Workers Resistance called for a global day of action against its employer. There were reports of local protests around October 16th all around the globe, from Australia to Mexico, Russia to South Africa, Brazil, USA and throughout Eastern and Western Europe - including Ireland, Scotland and the UK ( protests outside over 45 stores - but the full figure is certainly much higher). 94 protesters were arrested in Mexico, each being held under a bond of $14000. The protest was “against the promotion of junk food, the unethical targeting of children, exploitation of workers, animal cruelty, damage to the environment and the global domination of corporations over our lives.”
Links:
[ Global Day of Action | Summary | McDonalds Workers Resistance | Anti- McDonald's extravaganza and archive | text about McLibel courtcase | Video: McLibel- Two worlds collide ]
Books to read:
“McLibel- Burger Culture on Trial”, John Vidal, Macmillan
“Fast Food Nation”, Eric Schlosser, The Penguin Press
Global Day of Action against McDonalds- 16th October
Imc Scotland | 15.10.2002 23:00 | Anti-militarism
Imc Scotland
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protest on Indymedia Wales
27.09.2003 18:31
Sept 2003:
The first sign said "Ble Mae'r Gymraeg?" - Where is the Welsh? It seems there are no signs in welsh in MacDonalds. So Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg made a Demo.
Thirty or forty people gathered and sat down with their posters to block the main entrance. There were speeches in welsh by a member, and by the senior Police Officer present. Perhaps someone who understood will add a comment to tell what they said.
To the question : "Welsh Speakers have been trying for 700 years to liberate Wales. Is it time for the English Speakers to take over that struggle?" Was answered "It is a joint struggle really." Following on with "Are the Welsh Speakers too hidebound by Religion to take effective action?" brought the repy "They were, less so now."
I then spoke to Ffred who told me that everything about Macdonalds was Tokens and Symbols- they would give public support to Young Farmers, but did not buy their meat locally where it would give direct benefit to those local farmers, and there were several similar instances. When I said that the one good thing about MacDonalds was that every senior manager had to do a days work in the front line every year, Ffred suggested that was another example to tokenism, the token one day out of 200.
One person was keen that 21st Century Wales should remain united, and not be split into regions. There was good historical awareness of Welsh cultural values and attitudes extending to Spain and Turkey before the paranoid megalomaniacs of Rome got empowered. I did not get around to suggesting people should read Edward Carpenter's "Civilisation, its Cause and Cure"
Suddenly everyone was sticking up a poster saying "Deddf Iaith Newydd" calling for a new Welsh Act of Parliament. (Perhaps they should have been calling for a new Welsh Law to replace this corrupt English Law that keeps the honest innocent who announce their innocence locked up for far longer than the guilty are kept locked up. - A particularly sick perversion on the part of all Home Secretaries.)
And the Protest peacefully dispersed.
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