I just read this review of a documentary, McLibel, that sounds great. It's about the libel suit McDonald's brought against two English activists, Helen Steel and Dave Morris -- the mother of all SLAPPs.
Steel and Morris had been handing out leaflets (in 1984), complaining about the health risks of McDonald's food, as well as their manipulative advertising, the employment practices, and the impact McDonald's has on the environment. McDonald's sued them for libel, and the trial lasted 314 days -- the longest trial in English history. McDonald's finally won, a verdict that was upheld on appeal.
But Steel and Morris filed a suit against the English government in the European Court of Human Rights, complaining that English libel law violated their right to freedom of expression, and THEY WON! The ECHR ordered the British government to give them a new trial and to pay them damages. You can read about it here and here.
I know that SLAPPs are a constant threat against small, grassroots activist organizations, but this surely exposes the danger of such actions. Sure, McDonald's "won," but it's been an international public relations nightmare for them. People were talking about this before Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me ever came along. And now, there's a documentary regurgitating it -- you'll pardon the pun.
Also, it would be worth seeing the movie to see the kind of grassroots support Steel and Morris were getting. And who were their lawyers?
1 comment:
For the McLibel website, go to http://www.mcspotlight.org/.
The links between the McLibel efforts and the slow food movement are also fascinating. A network analysis between the two groups, along with a US v. Europe comparison, would be interesting and insightful.
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