What is it? Persecution or Harassment

[TTSOFAFM]

But back to the topic. Are you really claiming that the activities of a few people in any way compares to the effect the press had in 2007 and early 2008? >@@(*&)

It is all part and parcel.

Leaks from Portugal of how the McCanns were involved.  Leaks reprinted in British newspapers.  People believing the press.  Some people who decided the McCanns were involved and thought the McCanns were getting away with a crime, decided to become nothing but a lynch-mob and acted like vigilantes.  Press banging on car windows frightening little children.  Standing on street corners handing out leaflets to shoppers trying to make the British Public turn against a family.  Despicable behaviour.

Society does not have a place for vigilantes nor lynch-mobs, and that is what some people became, nothing but vigilantes out on a witch-hunt.  And the McCanns were the targets.

[Rachel Granada]

But back to the topic. Are you really claiming that the activities of a few people in any way compares to the effect the press had in 2007 and early 2008? >@@(*&)

The press were awful, and thoroughly deserved the drubbing they got from Carter Ruck.  But their lies were confined to paper, which people choose whether to read or buy.

However, the houndation took things out into the community - leafleting Rothley, going to the Glenfield, writing to the GMC and the social services, stalking Gerry to the committee meeting. Kate and Gerry McCann weren't given a choice in any of that stalking.

[Rachel Granada]

It is all part and parcel.

Leaks from Portugal of how the McCanns were involved.  Leaks reprinted in British newspapers.  People believing the press.  Some people who decided the McCanns were involved and thought the McCanns were getting away with a crime, decided to become nothing but a lynch-mob and acted like vigilantes.  Press banging on car windows frightening little children.  Standing on street corners handing out leaflets to shoppers trying to make the British Public turn against a family.  Despicable behaviour.

Society does not have a place for vigilantes nor lynch-mobs, and that is what some people became, nothing but vigilantes out on a witch-hunt.  And the McCanns were the targets.

Yes - it all stemmed from the PJ leaks in PT.  If they hadn't been leaking like sieves, then the press wouldn't have got hold of any of the lies.  Lies which fuelled a stalking campaign in the UK against a struggling family. 

[TTSOFAFM]

The press were awful, and thoroughly deserved the drubbing they got from Carter Ruck.  But their lies were confined to paper, which people choose whether to read or buy.

However, the houndation took things out into the community - leafleting Rothley, going to the Glenfield, writing to the GMC and the social services, stalking Gerry to the committee meeting. Kate and Gerry McCann weren't given a choice in any of that stalking.

Exactly.  That is the injustice of it all.  They had no option other than to take legal action against people or totally give up on the search for their daughter and move away and hope these people give up hounding them.

[icabodcrane]

In the 2008 Emma Loach film Madeleine's parents mention the letters they get - the insults and the threats. They'll have received such letters no doubt every day after returning to the UK, from nutters nothing whatsover to do with online groups - everyone with a high profile does unfortunately.

You should tell the whole story TT. The infrequent activities of online groups is probably just a fraction of what they have had to deal with from genuinely disturbed attention seekers, and most of it is nothing at all to do with any of us.

Indeed

Kate mentions in her book that over the last four years they have been contacted by several people,  who Kate presumes to be suffering from conditions such as schizophrenia and manic-depression.  She says that some of them seem to have become  'fixated'  on Madeleine and her plight

 Some of them are very persistent,  tracking the McCanns down again and again, weilding their piles of papers full of totally illogical  'fact'  figures and symbols.  Kate says it was draining and at times a little scary

So,  it seems,  the McCanns have   been  harassed  by  'supporters'  too,  who have become obsessed with the case   

[LagosBen]

The press were awful, and thoroughly deserved the drubbing they got from Carter Ruck.  But their lies were confined to paper, which people choose whether to read or buy.

However, the houndation took things out into the community - leafleting Rothley, going to the Glenfield, writing to the GMC and the social services, stalking Gerry to the committee meeting. Kate and Gerry McCann weren't given a choice in any of that stalking.

And then had the nerve to whine about being taken to Court over it!

Bennett was given how many chances to cease this yet still thought he and his crew were beyond the Law and morals of normal people.

Learned that he wasn't though didn't he? >@@(*&)

[Lyall]

Yes - it all stemmed from the PJ leaks in PT.  If they hadn't been leaking like sieves, then the press wouldn't have got hold of any of the lies.  Lies which fuelled a stalking campaign in the UK against a struggling family.

Yes, but that's history, and has been for over five years. Yet the doubters remain.

[Lyall]

Indeed

Kate mentions in her book that over the last four years they have been contacted by several people,  who Kate presumes to be suffering from conditions such as schizophrenia and manic-depression.  She says that some of them seem to have become  'fixated'  on Madeleine and her plight

 Some of them are very persistent,  tracking the McCanns down again and again, weilding their piles of papers full of totally illogical  'fact'  figures and symbols.  Kate says it was draining and at times a little scary

So,  it seems,  the McCanns have   been  harassed  by  'supporters'  too,  who have become obsessed with the case   

Cheers I'd forgotten that was in the book. So really someone sitting in a seat behind you is nothing.

[LagosBen]

Yes, but that's history, and has been for over five years. Yet the doubters remain.

By doubters if you mean a few  #bleeps# on internet fora and diehard PT Amaral supporters. I think I'll go with the Portuguese Official conclusion and the nearly 70,000 signees of the Petition supporting the McCanns request for a Review.

Oh and the Metropolitan Police service  who state Madeleine was abducted by strangers and possibly still alive as there is nothing to prove otherwise.

[DCI]

Indeed

Kate mentions in her book that over the last four years they have been contacted by several people,  who Kate presumes to be suffering from conditions such as schizophrenia and manic-depression.  She says that some of them seem to have become  'fixated'  on Madeleine and her plight

 Some of them are very persistent,  tracking the McCanns down again and again, weilding their piles of papers full of totally illogical  'fact'  figures and symbols.  Kate says it was draining and at times a little scary

So,  it seems,  the McCanns have   been  harassed  by  'supporters'  too,  who have become obsessed with the case   

Do you have the page number for that Icabod?

[Lyall]

By doubters if you mean a few  #bleeps# on internet fora and diehard PT Amaral supporters. I think I'll go with the Portuguese Official conclusion and the nearly 70,000 signees of the Petition supporting the McCanns request for a Review.

Oh and the Metropolitan Police service  who state Madeleine was abducted by strangers and possibly still alive as there is nothing to prove otherwise.

Thank you. A few. So how can a few be the cause of harassment or persecution? 8-)(--)

[Rachel Granada]

Yes, but that's history, and has been for over five years. Yet the doubters remain.

Those lies leaked by the PJ, and Amaral's book are to this day fuelling some absolutely disgusting hate on FB, Lyall.

[icabodcrane]

Do you have the page number for that Icabod?

Yes,  it's page 309  (  the chapter,  THE GOOD,  THE BAD AND THE MAD  )

[Lyall]

Those lies leaked by the PJ, and Amaral's book are to this day fuelling some absolutely disgusting hate on FB, Lyall.

I agree, but again it's just a handful of people. It wouldn't be difficult to take action, but they haven't.

[TTSOFAFM]

Indeed

Kate mentions in her book that over the last four years they have been contacted by several people,  who Kate presumes to be suffering from conditions such as schizophrenia and manic-depression.  She says that some of them seem to have become  'fixated'  on Madeleine and her plight

 Some of them are very persistent,  tracking the McCanns down again and again, weilding their piles of papers full of totally illogical  'fact'  figures and symbols.  Kate says it was draining and at times a little scary

So,  it seems,  the McCanns have   been  harassed  by  'supporters'  too,  who have become obsessed with the case   

Perhaps the whole episode should be produced here to put this comment into context.

Over the last four years we have been contacted by various people evidently afflicted by conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disease (manic depression). Some of them appear to have become fixated on Madeleine and her plight. Paranoid delusions, delusions of ‘reference’ (when random events convey a special meaning to the sufferer) and ‘racing thoughts’ (where the mind uncontrollably brings up random thoughts and switches between them rapidly, whether or not they are related to each other) have come into play. All of these symptoms can be extremely sad, disabling and potentially dangerous for the person experiencing them.

Within days of Madeleine’s disappearance, several people with major psychiatric problems made their way over to Praia da Luz and somehow managed to get to see Gerry and me. In spite of the state we were in, we found it hard to ignore anybody who was trying to help, even if what they were telling us was complete nonsense. Some of them were very persistent: they would track us down again and again, wielding their piles of papers full of totally illogical ‘facts’, figures and symbols. It was draining and at times a little scary.

On our return to the UK we had a number of such callers turn up on our doorstep, along with assorted psychics and visionaries. Sometimes I would open the door and immediately wish I hadn’t: the behaviour of psychiatric patients can be unpredictable and with Sean and Amelie following me every time I answered the doorbell I felt very vulnerable and anxious. One day Gerry, in what I can only assume was a moment of weakness, let the self-appointed ‘Lord’s Helper’ into the house. He was a tall, elderly gentleman sporting a wooden crucifix the size of Kansas around his neck. I stared at Gerry in disbelief and soon decided it would be wise to take Sean and Amelie out to the park. Thankfully, the Lord’s Helper proved to be totally harmless, even if he was not on the same planet as us that day.

Gerry and I were, I suppose, fortunate to have been surrounded all our lives by good and loving people whose outlook on life and respect for others was similar to our own. But maybe this background only magnified our shock when we were first faced with the small but vociferous group who wished us ill. We had never come across people like this before and it is perhaps the fact that they are so rare that amplifies their voices. But their words and actions are generally less comprehensible than those of the psychiatric cases.

When criticism surfaced shortly after Madeleine was taken it was hard to bear. Nobody likes to be criticized, but this was kicking us when we were down. Then the criticism began to turn nasty. We received letters spitting venom like ‘Your daughter will be getting tortured and it’s all because of you,’ or ‘Your daughter’s six feet under. Shame on you.’ And those were the restrained ones. Other letter-writers took a warped pleasure, it seemed, in going into lurid detail which I couldn’t bring myself to repeat here about what might have happened to Madeleine ‘because of you’. Having to cope with this on top of our raw pain almost pushed us over the edge. We simply couldn’t understand why anyone would want to inflict more agony on us. These people were actually taking the trouble to sit down and write this filth, to spend money on a stamp and take their poison-pen letters to the postbox. Did this make them feel better? Needless to say, after Gerry and I were declared arguidos the abuse escalated. We had mail delivered to our house addressed ‘Child Killer Kate


McCann, Kate (2011-05-12). Madeleine (pp. 309-310). Random House UK. Kindle Edition.
 

Such sadness