Support for Alan
| 12:58 UK time, Tuesday, 27 March 2007
On Monday, Mark Thompson, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ director general, spoke to a rally of colleagues of Alan Johnston, our reporter in Gaza who we believe has been abducted. Palestinian journalists in Gaza also staged a one-day strike in support of Alan.
Mark said this to the rally: "Exactly two weeks, at 2:15pm on a Monday afternoon, Alan Johnston left the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's bureau in Gaza to go home. He said goodbye to his colleagues, got into his car, and promised to phone them when he reached his flat. He never rang. His car was found abandoned. We believe he was abducted. No one from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has seen or heard from Alan since, though we're told by others that he is safe, and being looked after.
"Alan is one of those rather amazing ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ people, who make extraordinary sacrifices and take considerable risks because they believe a story needs to be told... We continue to talk to the people in the Middle East, and in the UK, to try and secure Alan's release. But two weeks after he was abducted, all of us, in London and in Gaza, want him home."
You can hear Mark Thompson's full speech here.
Comments
Just a word from a Beeb regular listener/viewer to say how much I appreciate the personal risks ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ correspondents take in order to bring us back a picture of what is happening in the world's troublespots.
I hope and pray that Alan Johnston will soon be found, and that he will emerge unscathed from this episode. I also hope and pray that other correspondents will be safe in their various postings.
If Alan Johnston's family and friends read this, my thoughts are also with you.
The Palestinians, if they did kidnap Alan are doing their cause no good at all and, it is beyond belief what they expect to achieve with this action
Just one of many people here in the US who have Alan in our thoughts and prayers!!
Rod
I have frequently blogged elsewhere on this site against various aspects of the way the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ conducts its' business.
However, let me also pay tribute to Alan Johnston and all the other brave and courageous front-line reporters, who sometimes put their lives on the line in order to get the news to people like myself.
I can only imagine the on-going worry and grief suffered by his family and friends
I sincerely hope and pray that Alan is safely returned to them, unscathed, as soon as possible!
I sincerely hope that he will be returned unharmed. It simply gets more and more worrisome the longer that there's no word from anyone regarding his condition.
THE BIGGER PICTURE:
The kidnap of Alan Johnston (esp with no demands) hurts Palestinian cause, so who can operate their freeely & does not care about such negative consequence?
Gaza is run by Islamic groups (political & terrorists) with the majority receiving & reliant on significant Iranian funding.
Given that:
- Iran has particular state declared enemies (nations, agencies, organisations)
- Iran has succumbed too hostage taking before (a track record by it & org's it supports)
- Iran kidnapped 15 British personnel in the Gulf. less than 11 days ago.
… what are the chances that Alan Johnson's kidnap is related to Tehran politics & strategy *
* in radicals eyes, seek to nurture & undermine British reputation via forays against its two best exports: military & media
vikingar