Template Press Release: TTIP Day of Action across Scotland

You can copy and paste the template press releases below into an email to local journalists to tell them about your local ‘Stop TTIP’ event. Remember to change the red text in square brackets to the details of your local event!

You should find contact details for your local papers here. Or if that doesn’t work,  Google “the name of your local paper + news desk” and you should see the contact details for the editor.

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Contact: [your name, your phone number and your email address]
For immediate release

Locals to take to the streets in [area] for day of action against trade deal.

Local people in [area] will be taking to the streets on Saturday 28th March for a day of action against the TTIP trade deal being negotiated in Brussels right now.

The day of action, coordinated by campaign group 38 Degrees, will be held at [write in the location and time of your meet-ups here] and is open to all.

They will join hundreds of other members of 38 Degrees protesting on the same day across Scotland.

Over 13,000 people have already signed a petition to all of the candidates standing to be a Scottish MP in May’s general election. The petition asks each candidate to take a stand against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a deal currently being negotiated between the EU and US.

Campaigners say that the deal poses a fundamental threat to our NHS, our public services, our health and safety protections and, through decisions made in secret international courts, to our democracy itself.

[name], a 38 Degrees member from [area], said “[This quote is the place for you to write why you care about scrapping TTIP and why you want to challenge your local MP candidates by taking part in the day of action. Here’s an example: “TTIP is bad news for everyone except big corporations. Officials in Brussels have said that our NHS is protected from TTIP – but leaked documents have shown that’s not true. There’s so much to be worried about with TTIP: I don’t want to see corporations suing our government, or privatisation rolled out further in our public services. 

“We need to make our voices heard – that’s why I’ll be going out this Saturday to spread the word about our campaign and collect signatures on our local petition. [area’s] day of action will show our MP candidates that we’re expecting them to oppose TTIP and that if they want our votes in this election, they need to listen up.”]

Jen Stout, campaigner at 38 Degrees said: “This day of action should send a clear message to politicians: you’re being watched by millions of us fighting to get this dodgy deal scrapped.

“The NHS, the best healthcare system in the world, is under threat from TTIP.  Our public services, already heavily privatised and under-funded, could be further carved up.  And the prospect of corporations suing governments, in secret international courts, is scary.

“Politicians can’t continue to sit on the fence on TTIP. People in [area] will be standing with thousands of others across the country to say that we won’t stand for a trade deal that looks more like a corporate wish-list.”

The local petition to stop TTIP is at: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/ttip-scotland-petition

Notes to editors

38 Degrees is one of the UK’s biggest campaigning communities, with over 3 million members. 38 Degrees brings you together with other people to take action on the issues that matter to you and bring about real change in the UK.