News
October 18 2003
Page 3
grnews@cf.ac.uk
Are you loving it McDonald’s? By Alex Ali Reporter THE ANNUAL World Day of Action Against McDonald’s took place on October 16, with pickets and demonstrations taking place all over the world. At 5pm, McDonald’s, Queen St, Cardiff saw its own piece of the action. The protest was peaceful, with leaflets and signs aiming to draw the attention of the public to the
Rubber duck ruck By AJ Silvers Reporter TWO STUDENTS were nursing bruises rather than hangovers Thursday morning, due to alleged heavy-handed action by bouncers at Wednesday night’s Rubber Duck. Jay Richmond and Chris Gaskell were caught up in the aftermath of an altercation between rowdy rugby players from UWCM and Cardiff Uni. Four Unisec bouncers were called to the incident but arrived too late, according to eyewitnesses. A bouncer barged into Jay Richmond, emptying Jay’s drink over another student. "I tried to get his attention a couple of times then he spun round and started shouting and swearing at me," said Jay, who was then allegedly dragged from Solus by two bouncers, one of whom held him in a fierce headlock. When Chris Gaskell asked why Jay was being removed, he too was verbally abused and struck about the face before being ejected and thrown to the floor. A rugby player and another student were also removed for drunkenness. Jay and Chris were on a Rowing Club social. Both sought medical attention for their injuries on Thursday. The alleged assaults took place around midnight, however due to a delay in training, no Student Duty Executive Officer was on hand to intervene. Peter Christian, a Director of Unisec, was on duty. He said the evening was ‘very busy, a sell out’ and apart from the removal of four students it was a ‘quiet night’ from a security point of view.
very real cost of McDonald’s. Staff at the Queens Street branch were none too pleased when members of Cardiff Social Forum and ALT and SHIFT Society staged their own protest, which included a visit from their own Ronald McDonald. Protestors were invited to return to the McDonald’s Open day by an employee who allegdly said,‘We have an Open Day tomorrow, we could slash some animals for you,’ Other protestors were pushed and told to ‘f**k off,’ by other employees. Hardly the behaviour expected from a family orientat-
ed restaurant chain. McDonald’s spend over $2 billion every year worldwide on advertising and promotions, trying to cultivate an image of being a ‘fun,’ and family orientated place to eat. Yet behind the kindly caricature face of Ronald McDonald lies a more sinister agenda, as McDonald’s reaps it $40 billion annual profits. People and Planet will be holding another protest on 25th October at 12pm, with a viewing this Wednesday at 7:30pm in the Bute Building, Room 2.32.
Fight Club THE END: scene of Saturday night’s fight By John Tuscany and Alison White Reporters A CATHAYS PUB was rocked on Saturday after fighting flared between rival football fans. ‘The End’, on Coburn Street, was witness to a scene more reminiscent of what was expected to occur on the streets of Istanbul rather than in a friendly Cardiff public house. The Saturday afternoon triple billing of football involving Scotland, England and Wales had attracted a
large and generally good-natured crowd of supporters, with banter flowing between groups of English and Welsh fans. However trouble surfaced as the f inal whistle sounded in England’s 0-0 draw against Turkey. Euphoric after gaining qualification, many English fans surged forward in celebration, emphasising this to their Welsh counterparts. Unfortunately, the screen switched immediately to the Wales game showing them to be losing in the early stages of their match against Serbia. The cocktail of the gloating, the disgruntled and no shortage of liquor, led to physical confronta-
Cathays pub marred by football violence tions between supporters, furniture being upended and missiles being thrown. Witnesses were said to be shocked and embarrassed at the behaviour of those involved, deeming their actions both ‘irresponsible’ and a ‘disgrace to themselves’. Quick actions from door staff prevented scenes from escalating further and the police arrived on scene promptly. Staff praised local drinkers as "quick to defend the pub they drink in". It is thought that those involved were a mixture of students and locals, possibly adding to the hostility between groups.
Despite no major trouble being reported at either the Wales or the England games, it seems the ugly side of football is never too far away. However the city centre remained relatively trouble free after the Wales game at the Millenium stadium. PC Bob Keohane explained, "International matches cause South Wales police little problems and attract many families. This was just an isolated incident." Clubber Vicky Wilson said, " I was worried about going out in town following a match night, but was surprised at the atmosphere in the streets".
Is this what we want around our union?