MADELEINE MCCANN WEBPAGE UNDER FIRE

another brilliant article from Mark who puts UK media to shame

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/08/28/11/13/madeleine-mccann-webpage-under-fire-over-free-speech-and-charity-status-claims

Madeleine McCann webpage under fire over free speech and charity status claims


By Mark Saunokonoko
11:13am Aug 28, 2017

The official Find Madeleine McCann Facebook page has been criticised over controversial rules that appear to shut down the right to free speech.

Members of the public have also accused the McCann Facebook page of misleadingly proclaiming it is an official charity, instead of being correctly categorised as a limited liability company.

British girl Madeleine is still missing after mysteriously vanishing from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal more than ten years ago, in May 2007.


Those people who ask questions or "analyse the investigation" on the Find Madeleine Facebook page, operated by a family friend, will be banned, according to a post titled 'Rules of the Road'.

Facebook users will also be immediately ejected from the group if they attempt to debate parenting decisions about when it is appropriate to use babysitting services.

"Please don't post your opinion on leaving children alone. Doing so will result in you being banned. No questions asked," the post states in large red font.

"This is our page and we ultimately have the say on the content and tone ... anyone criticising Madeleine or her family in any way, will be banned."

Doctors Kate and Gerry McCann claimed somebody entered their two-bedroom unit while they were eating tapas with friends at a nearby resort restaurant and abducted Madeleine while she slept next to her younger brother and sister.

The lead detective on arguably the world's highest profile missing persons' case later wrote a book theorising Maddie died in an accident and her parents faked an abduction and disposed of her body.

Parents Kate and Gerry have always steadfastly denied any wrongdoing in the disappearance of their daughter, and Portugal's detectives shelved the case in 2008.

In a huge outpouring of sympathy and support following the alleged abduction, it was estimated almost $6.5m was donated to the official Find Madeleine Fund.

However, despite best practice, the fund was never set up as a registered charity and is in fact a limited liability company.

Last week, after sustained pressure, the Find Madeleine Facebook page quietly changed its official status from a "charity" to "community".

A key difference between a charity and limited liability company is the level of detail it is required by law to publically divulge each year.

Since its inception in 2007, the official fund, Leave No Stone Unturned Ltd, has only ever published the bare minimum of detail over how it has spent the millions of dollars donated by the public.

The Find Madeleine website claims because the organisation is currently focused on searching for one child only, Madeleine McCann, it cannot register as a charity.

Last week it was reported Operation Grange, led by London Metropolitan detectives, will next month request further funding from the UK government to continue the search for Madeleine.

Funding is due to expire in September, after almost $18m has so far been spent on an investigation that has to date yielded nothing.

In May, nine.com.au reported Scotland Yard's six-year investigation into Madeleine's disappearance was a poisoned chalice laced with critical errors because of a high level agenda to not interrogate the child's parents.

US criminal profiler Pat Brown has also been heavily critical of Operation Grange.

"What Scotland Yard was doing was not a proper investigation," Brown earlier told nine.com.au.

"Scotland Yard went in saying the McCanns are not suspects, and that [the disappearance of Maddie] is an abduction. There is absolutely no way you should have entered an investigation saying that.

"They spent a tremendous amount of time following the most ridiculous leads ever. It was like watching a massive charade."

What are the chances of that article being re-printed in any U.K. paper? I'm betting on 0%.

I take it that the "community" status of the Fund requires more than the "bare minimum" details to be made public each year. Now that the Fund will have to provide more forthcoming details of how the money has been spent and how it has decreased, I suppose we will hear more sob stories about how the McCanns need replenishing in order to fund "their" search.

Fraud, fraud, fraud.

Mark puts all UK journalists to shame!


On the website they should say Limited company as community is also misleading as they are not doing anything for the benefit of the community

cherry1 wrote:Mark puts all UK journalists to shame!


On the website they should say Limited company as community is also misleading as they are not doing anything for the benefit of the community

And certainly nothing for the benefit of Madeleine. On the other hand, the McCann family (otherwise known as the community, I suppose) have benefited exceedingly well while hiding in plain view.

Working on the old adage that; "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." (attributed to Abraham Lincoln) They have done well....

Consecutive administrations have managed to keep the public like mushrooms, in the dark and guessing for 10 years and I think they are home and dry.... On the down side of this apparent 'success' our political institution and some, not all of those involved in the running of our; 'mother of parliaments, our famed democratic principle and rule of law' have been exposed as suspect and open to misuse and spin.... (Just my own honest opinion) as a lapsed totally disenchanted Labour voter thanks to Blair and Brown and now, since Cameron and Osborne an ex Conservative supporter.

Anyone for anarchy???