McDonald's Challenges France to Food Fight
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: There's a food fight being waged in the south of France. It pits a local farmer against the U.S.-based fast food giant McDonald's and it began with a tax fight. CNN's Elena Firman (ph) reports.</s>ELENA FIRMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the details of the prosecution's request were relayed to the crowd waiting outside the courtroom, there were whistles and cheers. A sheep farmer from a small town in the south of France, Jose Bove (ph), has become an unlikely celebrity.</s>JOSE BOVE: The bigger the mess, the better. Everything is going well. It's a joyful feast and it is the reason why we are here today.</s>FIRMAN: It's a modern day David and Goliath battle. In one corner, Bove stands as the defiant symbol of traditional French farming. On the other, a multinational corporation. The attack on the U.S.-based McDonald's chain came in the midst of an international food war which began when the European Union banned hormone injected U.S. beef that was not labeled. The U.S. responded by adding a 100 percent tax on Roquefort cheese and other French delicacies.</s>BOVE: If we are fighting against that kind of globalization about food, it's because we think that what's happening is very dangerous for all the people in the world.</s>FIRMAN: The crowds on the sidelines say they see Bove as a hero who is defending the interests of the small French farmers against multinationals like McDonald's.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FRENCH RESIDENT: I don't want my son to grow up to inherent a monstrous world ruled by four multinationals. Today we think we're voting for politicians, but actually we're only voting for people who are controlled by the multinationals.</s>FIRMAN: In court, the defense argued that Bove's vandalism was his only practical way to protest. But the prosecution said that Bove's targeting of McDonald's had contributed to an attack on another branch of the restaurant two months ago and that he should be punished as a deterrent to others. The court is expected to make its decision on September 13th. Bove says he will appeal any sentence and he's promising to continue his battle even outside French borders. Elena Firman, CNN.