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MacExpo evicts environmentalists

Greens left boiling

Updated Greenpeace campaigners have been booted out of MacExpo in London after other exhibitors complained about their activities at the show.

The environmental pressure group paid for a stall at Kensington Olympia under its "Green My Apple" campaign, which aims to encourage Apple to clean up its environmental record. A special spoof site was launched in September to publicise the use of toxic chemicals in Mac and iPod manufacturing and the firm's recycling shortcomings.

MacExpo marketing director Matt Denton said Greenpeace were warned not to take photographs at other stands, and to stick to handing out leaflets on their own pitch. He said: "It was a valid stand with a valid message... they breached their contract."

The Green My Apple stand will remain shuttered for the rest of the Expo, which runs until Saturday. Denton said the organisers would not be returning any of Greenpeace's exhibitor fee.

Greenpeace campaigner Iza Kruszewska said: "This reaction is totally over-the-top.

"We are challenging the world leader in design to also be a world leader in environmental innovation. We challenge Apple to have a product range on the market by 2007 which is free of the worst toxic chemicals."

Greenpeace volunteers have vowed to flout the ban tomorrow and return to MacExpo to continue the campaign without a stall. ®

Update

Greenpeace has posted its own account of the day's shenanigans here.

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