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BBC holds rallies for Alan Johnston
More than a thousand people attended rallies across the BBC today to highlight the plight of Alan Johnston, BBC Gaza Correspondent.
Alan was abducted in Gaza on 12 March. There has been an unsubstantiated claim that he has been killed and his family and colleagues are highly concerned for his safety.
Since Alan's disappearance, gatherings have taken place every Monday afternoon at the BBC's Television Centre and Bush House in London. These, together with events at other BBC locations, took place again today at 2.15pm.
At Television Centre, BBC Director-General Mark Thompson addressed around 500 staff. Mark Byford, Deputy Director-General also spoke briefly. Among those gathered were Peter Horrocks, Head of TV News; news presenters Gavin Esler and George Alagiah; correspondent Gavin Hewitt; and Tim Davie, Director of Marketing Communication & Audiences.
Richard Sambrook, Director, BBC Global News, addressed a further 200 people at Bush House. Among the crowd of journalists and staff from all 33 language services were the World Service Director Nigel Chapman; Editor World Service News & Current Affairs Liliane Landor; and Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen.
In Glasgow, Scotland controller Ken MacQuarrie addressed around 100 staff and there was also further activity in Aberdeen, Orkney and Inverness.
In Cardiff about 80 people attended another rally. The speakers were Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, and BBC journalist Wyre Davies, a friend of Alan's.
Andrew Colman, Head of News & Current Affairs in BBC Northern Ireland, spoke to another 70 people in Belfast.
Elsewhere around 200 people gathered outside the BBC's offices in Manchester to hear from Tamsin O'Brien, Head of Regional & Local Programmes.
Local radio stations in the area also showed their support – staff in BBC Radio Lancashire gathered in their Open Centre and staff at BBC Radio Merseyside stopped their activity for a moment of reflection.
A further 50 people gathered for a rally in Newcastle and BBC Birmingham and Bristol staff both held internal vigils in their newsrooms.
There were also vigils in support of Alan in Beirut and Brussels. BBC Beirut Correspondent Kim Ghattas addressed the vigil in Beirut while in Brussels BBC Europe Correspondent Jonny Dymond read out a statement calling for Alan to be released safely.
KR/BBC Press Office
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