A spoof edition of the defunct London Lite newspaper attacking Olympic Games sponsors will be handed out in London this evening.
Ten thousand free copies of the 20-page London Late will be given to commuters at east London tube stations including Liverpool Street and Old Street, targeting sponsors such as Rio Tinto, Adidas, Dow and BP.
The paper was produced by five organisations: the London Mining Network, the anti-poverty charity War on Want, the Bhopal Medical Appeal, the oil campaign group Platform and the UK Tar Sands Network.
In an editorial the group insisted that ‘at the London Late, we love sport”, adding: ‘We love hosting a global event in our wonderful city.
‘And we even believe that international events like London 2012 have the power to bring people from all over the world together in shared enjoyment.
‘What we don’t love is how this particular game is being played. As the capital is plastered with billboards, emblazoned with logos and adorned with slogans, we can’t help but notice that no inch of our city has been left untouched by the companies chosen as the ‘Official Sponsors’ of the London Games.
‘Behind the glitz and glamour, the armies of toned athletes and the glossy adverts lurks a murky world of corporate greed.”
One story in the paper claims Rio Tinto, which supplies the Olympic medals, is responsible for hundreds of premature deaths each year through air pollution in Salt Lake City, while another alleges that Adidas continues to exploit Asian factory workers.
The London Lite newspaper published its final issue in November 2009. It was owned by publishers Associated Newspapers, a division of the Daily Mail & General Trust.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
