Mark new book is about Coca Cola. As many of you may know Coca Cola bottlers in Colombia face allegations that the plant managers colluded with paramilitaries to bring about the deaths of trade unionists working for the Coke plants.
In 2001 the Colombian union Sinaltrainal brought a court case in the USA against the bottlers and also claimed that the Coca Cola Company bore indirect responsibility. The Colombian bottlers rather than investigate the claims of collusion instead brought legal charges against the trade union in Colombia, claiming the bottlers had been libelled.
What was this libel? What did the union say about the company that defamed them? Well, according to the bottlers the union committed slander by bringing the court case in the US.
All this and more in the new book which is published on 25th September 2008.
We had planned to continue to raise money to support the legal challenge to the SOCPA legislation requiring people to apply for permission to demonstrate near the Houses of parliament. Now it looks like the law will be repealed if a recent bill passes through parliament so we won't be needing to pay the lawyers after all. We've still got some badges left and a new product - the Illegal protest teatowel. All profits will go to the index on censorship and the McDemos fighting fund.
Now available - Celebratory Illegal protest tea-towels!
Today, in a dramatic ruling, the High Court has declared that the Government broke the law by cutting short the corruption investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals. This is the result of a legal challenge brought by CAAT and The Corner House with widespread support.
See the news release for more information. Also available are the full Judgement and summary of the Judgement (as pdfs) on the ControlBAE website.
Needless to say, we're quite pleased, well done to all at CAAT and The Cornerhouse and everyone else involved for a fabulous challenge and result.
It looks like the government plans to repeal the parts of the SOCPA legislation that require prior permission to demonstrate in the area surrounding parliament if the draft constitutional renewal bill makes it unscathed through the houses of parliament. Read Mark's view on this news here on the Index On Censorship website. NOTE: the law has not been repealed YET, this bill has to make it through parliament unscathed and get royal assent before that happens.
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Comedy that really makes a difference! This is Mark's true story of cake icing as a political weapon, of demonstrations to Defend Surrealism and getting to like the police. Mark turns an 18 month battle over Parliament Square and the right to demonstrate into bizarrely brilliant stand up. This is how Mark fought the law ... with the law's permission! It is a laugh out loud funny world inhabited by anarchists, Goths, artists and a chap called PC Paul McInally, in which Mark becomes a Guinness World Record holder, organises 2,500 protests in one day and changes the law in the process. |
We're not quite sure what it is, but we quite like it. There'll be more QR stuff soon due to a hook up with a rock band.
Mark's book (PDF press release) was published by Ebury Press on 6th July 2006. Mark relates the story of becoming an arms dealer and the lax regulations surrounding the international arms and torture equipment trade around the world.
The book, titled "As used on the famous Nelson Mandela", is now published and can be bought here: Amazon and at all good book stores. Buy from a local independent shop if you can!
If you order the book using the link above the Kurdish Human Rights Project will benefit from every purchase, at no extra cost to yourself!
"John Pilger with laughs" - The Guardian.
Welcome to the brand new officially official Mark Thomas web site, totally and controversially endorsed by Britain's most activist comedian, scourge of the establishment and prime geezer.
We'll be bringing you exclusive material from Mark Thomas plus an archive of previous material. We'll have details of the dates and venues where you can catch his live show, campaigns that you should get involved in, audio and video footage, pictures, pranks past and present and even the odd bit of merchandise to help spread the word. Mark's CV/biography is here.
You can sign up to a mailing list to keep you informed of Mark's tour dates, appearances and campaigns and we'll have the very best links to our friends sites around the globe.
If you have an mtcp.net email account from the old mtcp.co.uk site you can still get your email by logging in here.
Thanks for popping by,
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
* - to be confirmed