An activist from Animal Rights Cambridge arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act for a protest inside the McDonalds restaurant in Cambridge in June 2008 was found ‘not guilty’ on 30th April 09.
See http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/cambridge/2008/06/401637.html for more on the case and to see a video of the protest in question.
The protest was in commemoration of the now famous Mclibel cases anniversary, that was a huge PR disaster for McDonalds. The protesters entered the restaurant and informed customers about issues regarding McDonalds corporate practices on a range of issues. One of the campaigners was then arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.
This is a small victory for the animal rights movement that has been under increasing state repression. “Lets take this as a collective lift to our self-esteem” said the cleared activist “I’m Mcloving it!”.
The case has dragged on but it finally came to an end with the magistrate finding the defendant not guilty “Animal rights activism may have been covertly outlawed in the UK” said the activist “but it seems not everyone has read the memo yet!”.
The campaigners Barrister put forward an excellent case with the help of the brilliant defence witnesses. As the Not Guilty verdict was read out the supporters in the public gallery began to applaud!