Citation

"Grâce à la liberté dans les communications, des groupes d’hommes de même nature pourront se réunir et fonder des communautés. Les nations seront dépassées" - Friedrich Nietzsche (Fragments posthumes XIII-883)

07 - JUN 12/17/22 - Brunt//RTE/Murray



BBC Crimewatch - 05.06.2007
Recorded in Praia da Luz: 04 June 2007, Televised: 05 June 2007 


Fiona Bruce : (to camera) "It's 33 days since little Madeleine McCann disappeared from Praia da Luz in Portugal. Tonight, in a special appeal, her parents Gerry and Kate plead for your help in the hunt for their daughter."
Gerald MC : "For the Crimewatch viewers at home I think this would be a good time now to review all the information."
Kate Mc : "These are virtually identical to the pyjamas that Madeleine was wearing when she was taken. As you can see it's a pink top, errm... with gathered short sleeves and it has a picture of Eeyore on the front. Errr, the bottoms are white with a... a floral design and have an Eeyore, errm... on the bottom of the right leg."
GMC : "Around, errr... the time that Madeleine, errr... was found to be missing, shortly before that, there was a suspect, errr... seen walking away from the apartment, errr... with, errm... probably carrying a child.
He is approximately 35 years of age, round about 5ft 8, 5ft 9. He had dark hair parted, errr... to one side, he was wearing, errr... dark jacket, errr... slightly longer than a suit jacket, light coloured trousers, which may have been beige or mustard coloured, and dark shoes. Errr... You know it could have been someone innocent, we would certainly be keen that that person comes forward to be eliminated but, you know, we are certainly suspicious of the timing.
"We certainly know that it... it could only take one... one phone call. Errm, someone has a key bit of information and it may be someone close to whoever has Madeleine. It might be the person themselves. They can phone, tell the police where Madeleine is."
KMC : "The majority of people, you know, are really good people and, I think that's been demonstrated by all... all the fantastic support we've had, it's been amazing. Errm, there are a few bad people in the world but also there are a few sad people and I guess I'm hoping that it's someone sad who's just wanted our daughter."
GMC : "It... it's not too late to hand her over."

FB : (to camera) "It certainly isn't. We so much want to find her, don't we? British police also want anyone who was on holiday at the Ocean Club Resort, Praia da Luz, or the surrounding areas, between the 19th April and the 3rd of May to have a look at their holiday photos and if any members of the public are in the background the police are keen to see them. They have sophisticated equipment which can spot if the same person appears in different photos. "You can upload your photos to www.madeleine.ceopupload.com and if you have any information that will help the McCanns' appeal please call this dedicated British police number on 0800 0961233 or 0207 1580197, if you're calling from abroad. And police would like to stress this appeal is aimed at anyone who hasn't already contacted them. And if you've seen Madeleine you should inform local police immediately, please don't wait until you get home."


Les MC au Maroc (Rabat)
Sky News - 12.06.2007
transcrit par Nigel Moore

Martin Brunt : (voice over) Their recent travel over thousands of miles has shown Gerry and Kate McCann that they're not alone in their search for Madeleine and it's helped them in other ways.
Kate MC : The work that we've been doing over the last few weeks has certainly helped Gerry, it's helped us both in that it has kept us focussed and, you know, not dwelling on Madeleine herself so much, you know we've been doing as much as we can, errm... and it's certainly helped Gerry a great deal whereas I've probably had a few moments, perhaps, not so good.
MB : (voice over) In Morocco, their last stop to publicise their campaign to find Madeleine, they were overwhelmed by support. They met the Interior Minister and later switched on a website appeal for help in finding Madeleine.
(to McCanns) What comes next? This phase is over, what are your immediate plans?
Gerald MC : We never, ever wanted this to be a long term campaign, we wanted the... and what we hoped was that by, errm... taking positive action it would speed things up and, you know, that hasn't happened, errr... there are some contingency plans but, errm... you know, I think we're... we're looking at event driven, errm... things to... to keep the profile up and just remind people, I suppose, and the authorities and the public, from time to time, that we will still be searching and that Madeleine is still missing.
MB : I wanted to ask you both this question, perhaps. A very simple question: Do you still believe that Madeleine is alive? (1)
GMC : Yeah.
 
MB : And Kate?
KMC : Certainly no evidence to the contrary, I mean we've said before, obviously, we've considered all scenarios but I think the fact that there's nothing to suggest otherwise, errm... gives us great hope, really. I mean, it's important we cling to that, as well.
 
GMC : And what, you know, we... we don't want, and you can imagine the pain, is that this must never end up an unsolved abduction... 
KMC : No. 
GMC : ... it must have an outcome and we must find her.
 
MB : (voice over) For the next few days the family want time alone to grieve for Madeleine, not for her death - for her absence. 


(1) La vidéo n'est plus en ligne, mais la première réaction des MC est un mouvement de la tête signifiant (en occident) "non".







Interview RTE-Crimecall
17.06.2007 (enregistrement le 9 juin 2007)
transcrit par Nigel Moore
 
RTE : (to camera) Well, the sad and tragic abduction of four-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal has focused international attention on the issue of missing children and the abduction of children. On Crime Call we don't normally focus on crimes that happened outside Ireland but given the extraordinary interest in the case in this country and the fact that the McCanns have family links with Ireland, it does seem timely that we consider the case, particularly when many Irish families are now planning their summer holidays. Well, in a moment, we'll be looking further at the abduction of young Madeleine but first to the family themselves. Kate and Gerry McCann took time to talk to Crime Call about their daughter, the support they have received from this country and their future plans. Forty seven days have now passed since the abduction of Madeleine McCann at a resort in Portugal's Algarve. It's a holiday spot favoured by many Irish families; perhaps one reason why this case has struck a chord with so many Irish people.

RTE : (to Kate MC) Thank you, very much.
Gerald MC : Hi.
RTE : There's a strong connection between the McCann family and Ireland. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
GMC : Yeah, I mean, most of my family are from Donegal and, errr... in fact, my brother and three sisters were all born there and I'm the only one born in Glasgow. And, errr... we had all the extended family, went over to Donegal at Easter, errr... for five days and it was the first time Kate had been in Donegal with us, although her, errr... grandparents are Irish, as well, from Dublin. Madeleine, in particular, had a ball, with all of us as a family. It was a fantastic... fantastic holiday.
Kate McCann: Twenty seven of us.

RTE : And what has been the Irish response to the campaign so far?
KMC : We've had so much support from Ireland, I mean, overwhelming, I'd say. And we say we reckon like half the letters that we've had are... are from the Irish, you know. It's been...
GMC : The amount of people that we've met here in Praia da Luz who say to us, 'All of Ireland is praying for you'. And we know that, you know. The support has been tremendous and, errr... you know, literally thousands of letters, and other messages of support, just from Ireland alone.
RTE : Tell us, what kind of girl is Madeleine?
GMC : She is, errm... well, she's incredible to us, errr... obviously and, errr... but she is very bright, errr... outgoing, errm... lively, quite extroverted character, I would say, full of energy.
KMC : I mean, maybe every parent says this, but we actually think we've got a very special relationship with Madeleine.

RTE : Have you been hurt by the criticism that's been directed at you, surrounding the events of Madeleine's abduction?
GMC : I don't think anyone can hurt us more than the hurt we're feeling already and, errr... if you know yourself, errm... anyone who's a parent then I think you're the hardest on yourself and there's no doubt we feel guilty because we were not there at that moment, errm... although, you know, Kate has emphasised we are ex... very responsible parents and I don't think what we were actually doing was in any way irresponsible.

RTE : And why do you think it's important to stay here in Portugal?
KMC : Well, I mean, I feel closer to Madeleine here, which, I mean, might be wrong; she might be closer to the UK than... than here but I do feel close to Madeleine here. We're also close to the investigation here and, errr... to be honest, I can't really think about going home, to our home, without Madeleine.







Interview pour BBC World Service 
22.06.2007 transcrit par Nigel Moore
L'interview fut enregistrée le 19 juin, lors du second bref séjour de Gerald MC au Royaume-Uni afin, notamment, de sélectionner un directeur de campagne en vue d'une recherche de Madeleine à long terme (blog).

Jenni Murray : It's 50 days since 4-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from the holiday villa, in Portugal, rented by her parents. Since then nothing's been heard of the little girl despite a remarkable campaign to keep the case in the public eye. Posters of her have been put up across Europe and North Africa. Her parents, Gerry and Kate, have made visits to European capitals and they've even been to see The Pope. But, so far, nothing. Gerry McCann has just returned to Portugal from a brief trip to Britain to appoint a campaign manager to coordinate their efforts to publicise the case; only the second time he's left Portugal since Madeleine's disappearance. But I spoke to him, while he was here, and asked him what stage the investigations were at now.
Gerry McCann : The actual specifics of what happened and I think the key things here about, errm... who actually has taken Madeleine, errr... why they've taken her and where she is, errr... I don't think we're any the wiser. That's very much why we're having to continue our campaign on an international front to make sure that Madeleine's image and, errr... details of her disappearance are as widely spread as possible.

JM : Are there any leads at all? I mean, is there anything that the police are now following up, for example?
GMC : There's a lot of, errr... information still coming into the inquiry and, errm... you know, there's a lot of hard detective work going on. We have to realise that if they were hard leads we wouldn't be telling, errr... the public because, errr... they would be handled in a very quiet, errr... fashion and, errr... investigated. The important thing, at this time, is that we don't have Madeleine and, errr... that's the only, errr... result that'll clearly make Kate and I happy, and the rest of the family.

JM : How do you think Madeleine herself would be coping?
GMC : You know, that's somewhere where we, errr... we can't really go because, errm... it's back to speculation and we've absolutely no idea who's taken her and where she is and, errm... you know, what sort of surroundings she's in, so there's just too many in... errr... errr... probabilities there to really consider it.

JM : Is she a tough-minded little girl, though?
GMC : I think it might be fair to say that... that she's got a lot of her, errr... mum and dad's characteristics

JM : Mmm... How about the rest of the family; you and... you and Kate especially? I mean, how are you coping really?
GMC : Every parent can empathise, errr... with what we're going through, errm... and we've had our fair share of emotions but, errr... you know, we're... we're trying to stay focused and looking forward and very much, errm... putting our energies into helping, errr... the search for Madeleine. That does help us to cope, errm... I think it's very important also to emphasise that we have had, errr... tremendous support, errr... both from our family and close friends, errr... we've had tremendous support from the local community, particularly through the church here, errr... which really lifted us, errr... particularly in those, errr... very few first days where, errm... you know, it... it was not, you know... it was just awful really.

JM : You're talking to me now but how difficult is it to be... to be brave in public; to deal with the... the media; to be in the public eye all the time?
GMC : It hasn't been nearly, errm... as intrusive as one might expected it to have been and they have largely respected our privacy, with one or two, quite minor, exceptions. (1) The phase of the campaign now is very different to that which we, errr... have undertaken in the last few weeks with Kate and I, you know, travelling to different areas, errm... either to raise awareness in countries in close proximity to Portugal, such as Spain and Morocco, and also going directly to countries, errr... The Netherlands and Berlin to appeal for information. The campaign really started, errr... within electronic media and, errr... my sister, Phil, took the first campaign-type action, errr... and that was to start a... a chain email, errr... with a poster of Madeleine's image and asked people to distribute it and then we decided to set up a website dedicated to finding Madeleine, the www.findmadeleine.com. So, there's huge amounts of information there and the message that we're sending out... you know, the overriding message, is clearly: 'Madeleine is still missing and, as long as she's missing, we will continue searching for her'.

JM : I've, errm... recently come back from... from southern France. I saw posters in... in several places there, errm... about Madeleine. But what do you... you've obviously been talking to experts on missing children. What do they tell you might have happened to Madeleine that posters such as that, and your... your trips to Morocco, Spain, the other countries, might help to solve?
GMC : The general viewpoint from, errm... experts is that raised public awareness is a good thing, when a child is missing, and that's been the main focus of the campaign, errm... Now, you know, we think that that has got a good chance of helping but we know there's no guarantees. (2)

JM : Has the campaign helped you and Kate to cope, in that, at least you feel you're doing something?
GMC : It has helped us and it helped us stay positive, errr... perhaps when our, errr... we were feeling very negative. Yes, there's no doubt having a focus and diverting your energy, errr... into the campaign, it certainly does help us but, at the same time, when you don't achieve the... the end goal of getting Madeleine back, it... it's still, you know, very difficult as time goes on. We are determined and, errr... we certainly will not give up and I think, you know, parents would know that; they would do anything to find their child.

JM : You've had help from trauma counsellors. Has... has that actually helped you?
GMC : Without a doubt, errr... and I think what, errm... the psychologist, errm... did was give us the tools, errm... to help us cope at the beginning. We could only imagine the worst scenarios and, errm... he helped us to consider other possibilities and that, you know, there's reasonably good possibilities, errr... that Madeleine, errm... has not been seriously harmed and that has helped drive us. We have tremendous hurt that Madeleine is not here and we've had to have, you know, 50 days now, errr... without her and, of course, when you think about Madeleine not being with her family, errr... it's very distressing.

JM : So, for you and... and for Kate, what actually keeps the hope alive? I mean, when... when you're together, can you actually bolster up each other? Is it... or do you simply find that when you're together you feel very depressed about it?
GMC : Despite, you know, a huge investigation, there is no evidence, to date, that Madeleine has been, errm... harmed, errr... physically, errm... and that, errr... means that we will always have hope (3) and, errm... the hope is what drives us on in our determination to be reunited with our daughter. So, errr... of course, there are... we have blips and, errr... moments where, errm... we're not quite as positive and that is difficult to deal with but we support each other; we get family support and the huge amount of goodwill.

JM : Are there other international cases you know about which give you hope; where the children were... were eventually found?
GMC : There's been a number of cases, errm... where children have been found, after a long time, errm... that, when you think about these, you know, is a double-edged sword. Errr... You know about the case of the Austrian girl who was found after, I think, eight years, errr... and you think: 'Goodness me,'you never want to be separated, errm... that long and, in fact, every day is too long for us and there's been another case earlier this year where a boy, errr... was found in America after four... four years; well. Errm... So, yes, you know, there are clearly, errr... cases where people are returned.

JM : So, if anyone is listening to this and they... they feel they've got information that could help, what should they do?
GMC : Well, there's two ways really, errr... to go about it, errm... all of the police forces in certainly Europe and, errr... North Africa are alerted, errm... to the fact that Madeleine's missing and so they can report information, errr... directly to local, errr... police force and they will act on that and feed it back into Portuguese inquiry.

JM : There's something else that's happening in the campaign today involving balloons. Now, tell me about that.
GMC : To mark the 50th day that Madeleine's been missing we have, errr... are going to be releasing 50 balloons, errr... with helium in them. These will be green and yellow to signify the British and, errr... Portuguese colours of hope and on each balloon there'll be a card with Madeleine's image and, errm... the details of the numbers to call if anyone has information and we've had tremendous support. There's going to be at least a hundred locations round the world, from places far afield as Argentina, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Romania, errr... South Africa, Ventura in California and, errm... it really is becoming a global campaign.
JM : Gerry McCann, father of Madeleine - who has been missing now for 50 days.

(1) Les médias n'ont pas été aussi intrusifs qu'on pouvait s'y attendre et ont largement respecté la vie privée des MC. Voilà une déclaration faite devant un micro, à retenir !
(2) On aimerait savoir qui sont ces experts et surtout sur quelles données ils se fondent. La question de Jenni Murray est tout à fait pertinente.
(3) Espère-t-il qu'il y aura toujours de l'espoir ou a-t-il de bonnes raisons pour savoir qu'il y aura toujours de l'espoir ? Si tant est qu'on puisse s'en nourrir.