PALESTINIANS MAY HAVE KILLED KIDNAPPED BRITISH JOURNO

BBC, Britain probe reports that kidnapped Gaza journalist killed
LONDON (AFP) - The BBC and the Foreign Office told AFP they were urgently investigating reports Sunday that kidnapped BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston had been executed. The journalist was snatched at gunpoint last month, triggering protests and campaigns for his freedom.

“We’ve heard of those reports but we don’t have any independent verification of them at the moment,” a BBC spokeswoman said. “Obviously, we are deeply concerned about what we’re hearing. We are obviously making urgent inquiries about this because it’s of great concern to us to hear those sort of rumours. No group has claimed responsibility, even to say that he was abducted, so we’ve never had confirmation that he was abducted. Obviously, we have to assume that he has disappeared, but there has not been any direct or indirect link by the BBC with any group.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the report and are urgently looking into it.”

There has been no word on the fate of Johnston, 44, since he was forced from his car at gunpoint as he drove home from work in Gaza City on March 12.

SEE ALSO: UK Journalists Union Boycotts Israel (BackSpin)
After participating in a Day of Action on behalf of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, the UK National Union of Journalists voted to boycott Israeli goods to protest last year's war in Lebanon. The Guardian writes:

The union's national executive committee has been instructed to support organisations including the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice in Palestine and the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding.

In other words, it's business as usual for the union's 35,000 members in print, broadcast and web media. The union is also boycotting the PA for three days to protest the Johnston kidnapping.

SEE MORE ON THE BOYCOTT IN THE POST IMMEDIATELY BELOW. DO YOU THINK IT OCCURS TO ANY BRITISH JOURNALISTS THAT THEIR "SOLIDARITY" WITH THE PALESTINIANS HAS ONLY INSPIRED THE PALESTINIANS TO KIDNAP AND MURDER THEM? ISRAEL'S DEFENSE OF ITSELF MERITS A PERMANENT BOYCOTT BY BRITISH JOURNOS. PALESTINIANS' KIDNAPPING AND MURDER OF A BRITISH JOURNO MERITS A 3 DAY BOYCOTT.