Guards crack down on protest over kidnapped Briton

Security guards at the Palestinian parliament today scuffled with a crowd of Palestinian journalists who were demonstrating in support of kidnapped BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, pushing back reporters and beating two of them with rifle butts.

About 200 journalists had gathered outside the building, seeking information. When journalists tried to enter parliament to talk to politicians about the case, the guards violently pushed them back and barred them from entering.

They journalists called on politicians to come out of the building to talk to them. Some held signs and photos that said “Free Alan”.

Mr Johnston, 44, was abducted by gunmen in Gaza City on March 12 and has not been seen or heard from since then.

On Sunday, a previously unknown group, “The Brigades of Tawheed and Jihad”, said it had killed Mr Johnston to support demands for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. There has been no confirmation of the claim.

“We came to ask those lawmakers about the facts and the truth on the fate of our kidnapped colleague,” said Shohdy al-Kashef, an activist in the local journalists’ union. “It’s more than a month right now and we are concerned for Alan’s life after the statement released two days ago. We came peacefully, but we are being assaulted now.”

A planned parliamentary session went on as scheduled.

Journalists boycotted the session. The union declared an open-ended boycott of the legislature and the new interior minister, who oversees security issues, because of the “assault on the peaceful demonstration”.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders group condemned the police action.

“We are outraged by this violence against journalists,” the group said. “With journalists already having to endure so much in the Palestinian territories, it is unacceptable that violence was used when all they wanted was to be heard by the authorities.”

In an appeal to the kidnappers today, families of Palestinians held in Israeli jails used a national day in support of the prisoners to call for Mr Johnston’s immediate release.

“We reject the claim by any group that they may commit criminal and un-national acts in the name of the Palestinian and Arab prisoners,” they said a statement.