Monday 27 January 2003
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CHALLENGES WEF:
APOLOGISE OR FACE LEGAL ACTION
Davos, Switzerland:
Friends of the
Earth has challenged the World Economic Forum
(WEF) to apologise for its statement of
Saturday 25 January over an incident on
Friday involving Tony Juniper, Vice Chair of
Friends of the Earth International and
Executive Director of Friends of the Earth
England Wales and Northern Ireland
(EWNI).
Friends of the Earth was shocked to read
the statement that contains serious factual
inaccuracies and is highly defamatory of both
Tony Juniper and Friends of the Earth. The
legal department of Friends of the Earth EWNI
last night sent a letter before claim to the
World Economic Forum calling on it to
withdraw the statement and issue an apology
by 9am Tuesday 28th January, failing which
Friends of the Earth will consider itself
fully justified in commencing legal
proceedings against the WEF.
Tony Juniper is an accredited participant
at the World Economic Forum meeting currently
taking place in Davos, Switzerland. On Friday
24 January, Mr. Juniper sought to enter the
Davos Congress Centre with a bag of letters
addressed to the 170 world leaders and
politicians inside the WEF. The WEF claims,
including that Tony Juniper sought to evade
security checks by "
not displaying the
documents necessary to enter the Davos
Congress Centre security zone",
that he
"tried to break through a police control
point"
and that he
"refused to
identify himself or to let the police examine
the contents of the bag"
are entirely
without foundation and are highly
defamatory.
Phil Michaels, the head of the Friends of
the Earth Legal Department in London
said,
"The WEF's claims about Tony Juniper's
behaviour are wrong and ridiculous. They do
not even have the correct time of day when
they claim the alleged incident took place.
We will do all that is necessary and
reasonable to defend our reputation and
that of our Executive Director. We have
demanded that a full retraction is issued
by 9.00 am Tuesday 27th of January so that
the damaging allegations can be withdrawn
while the WEF Annual Meeting is still in
progress.
"It is deeply ironic that at a WEF
meeting entitled
"Building Trust"
, the organisation has chosen to publish an
extraordinary, inaccurate and defamatory
attack against the accredited
representative of an organisation that is
trusted and respected by over one million
supporters worldwide".
ENDS
Note: Friends of the Earth is asking any
media present at the incident to keep copies
of their tapes, and to contact Phil Michaels
on the number below.
Contacts
Phil Michaels (Legal Dept. in London): +44
20 7566 1725
Tony Juniper (in Davos) +44-(0) 7712 843
207
Craig Bennett (in Davos): +44-(0) 7810
558250
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