McLibel activists cleared by Euro court

It seems to have been going forever, and in its 21 years has spawned books, films and countless articles, but the McLibel case is at last closed:

"Two Britons found to have libelled the US fast food chain McDonald's after the longest court case in English legal history did not have a fair trial, the European Court of Human Rights ruled.

"Helen Steel and David Morris, whose 1984 pamphlet accused McDonald's of starving the Third World, destroying rainforests and selling unhealthy food, were also deprived of free speech by the 1997 ruling, it said.

"The Strasbourg-based court, ordered Britain to pay the pair a total of 35,000 euro ($A57,684.38) and offer them a retrial. Britain has three months to appeal the decision.

"Morris, a single father, hailed the ruling as a 'total victory' in comments to reporters outside a McDonald's restaurant in central London where activists began handing out the leaflets at the centre of the libel case 20 years ago.

"It is only the end of the legal battle. It is not the end of the battle for the public to be able to criticise powerful organisations in our society," said Steel."
Source: Sydney Morning Herald