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OFFBEAT

McDonald’s denies attack on tech-specs Canadian

McDonald's France said on Tuesday that employees at one of its Paris restaurants denied a Canadian inventor's claims they assaulted him for wearing a computer vision system.

Published: 20 July 2012 08:58 CEST
McDonald's denies attack on tech-specs Canadian
Photo: Steve Mann

In a statement on its Facebook page, the company said it was investigating the claim and "no statement in relation to a physical assault… was uncovered in the testimonies of the people questioned."

Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto, blogged on Tuesday that he had suffered a "physical assault" by McDonald's "representatives" while on a visit to Paris with his family earlier this month.

"According to the employees, the exchanges with Mr. Mann were carried out with respect and politeness," McDonald's said, adding the investigation was ongoing.

Mann, who invented and has worn the EyeTap computer vision system — similar to the Augmented Reality eyepiece being developed by tech giant Google — for the last 13 years, said he was confronted by three people he believed to be McDonald's workers while eating at a branch on the Champs Elysee.

He said one of the men tried to rip the system from his head and that despite showing them medical and technical documentation on the system, he was ejected from the restaurant.

Mann, who posted photographs of the incident taken with the eyepiece, wrote it was unclear why the men had taken offence.

He said he wanted McDonald's to pay for damage to his eyepiece and to support funding for vision research.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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