Madeleine McCann: The English Gag And A Fight In Portugal

MADDIE WATCH – Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann: Gerry and Kate McCann are in Lisbon, Portugal, petitioning a judge for a total ban on Goncalo Amaral’s book The Truth Of The Lie, in which the former policeman challenges their version of Madeleine’s disappearance.

It is also effectively a libel trial, as the McCanns seek damages. They say that anyone reading the book will conclude that Madeleine is dead and stop looking for her.

Are you looking for her? Or are you just reading about her and watching the telly? Are you being entertained?

Amaral argues that it’s a matter of freedom of speech. He’s now planning to launch “The English Gag” a second book. No joke.

Where there’s a missing child, there’s sensation, entertainment and money. The media interprets:

Sky News: “McCanns In Portugal For Battle With Ex-Cop”

Fight! The Sun calls it a “MADDIE SHOWDOWN”.

The press wants a face-to-face confrontation. Under the mask of caring and supporting the McCanns they reveal a lust for a public row. They want to be entertained. A fist fight would be great, but they’ll settle for a slanging match. Reports the Express:

Kate and Gerry McCann dramatically returned to ¬Portugal yesterday to face him across the courtroom in a bid to stop him peddling lies.

Only it is unlikely the two parties will come face to face.

Mr McCann, 41, tells Sky News: “We’re here to make sure that freedom of speech doesn’t allow the truth to be distorted. We believe the book has damaged the search for Madeleine. If people read it and believe she is dead then they will not keep looking for her and may not come forward with information they may have.”

There is no proof that Madeleine McCann is dead. There is no proof that Madeleine McCann is alive. All is either assumption or hope. All we know is that an innocent child went missing. There are no suspects. The parents are innocent.

In his book he asserts that Madeleine died in the apartment and her death was covered up. The McCanns won a temporary injunction in September when thousands of unsold copies of the book were handed over to their lawyers.

The McCanns’ solicitor Ed Smethurst says, grandly:

“He has poisoned public opinion against the McCanns across Europe. We’ll claim every penny of the money he unfairly made from these unjust claims.”

Can it proven that Madeleine McCann is not alive, or is just speculating on the being of an innocent child enough to be libellous? Here’s the McCanns’ spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, to help us make sense of it all:

“It’s regrettable that Mr Amaral chooses to do this on the same day as the trial opening. Most people would expect him to concentrate on the trial rather than launching any new book and the court will take its own view of his activities.”

So says the PR.

Madeleine McCann is missing. And we are still watching the parents…

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One of a series posters protesting the innocence of the man questioned about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann which have appeared in Hockering, the Norfolk village where he lived.

Anorak

Posted: 11th, December 2009 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (5) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink