Sky News Headline; says:The decision by two major British cinema chains to withdraw a Madeleine McCann video appeal from screenings of children's films has sparked a backlash from parents. The advert, made by the Find Madeleine campaign, shows photos of the four-year-old and explains how she was snatched from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal two months ago. Cineworld and Odeon both asked Carlton Screen Advertising to pull the appeal from their screenings of U-rated movies after receiving complaints from parents who said their children had been upset by it. A spokesperson for Carlton told Sky News that the advert itself had been given a U certificate, but the chains did not want to run the risk of offending any more audience members.
An Odeon Cinemas spokesperson said the chain had extended the ban to all U, PG and 12A showings and would review all other screenings of the campaign on a film-by-film basis.
However, the decision to pull the appeal has provoked a backlash from parents who contacted Sky News to say they supported the screening of the McCanns' appeal. "If your child can understand Shrek, then your child should be aware of stranger danger," said Karen from the USA. "I find it quite naïve of any mother who thinks they need to shield their child from this awful truth. We live in a dangerous society, and unfortunately, stranger danger is a real fact of life."
Niamh Brennan, from Colchester, said: "Not advertising Madeleine's plight is pretending it does not happen, this is not Disneyland this is the real world. You can explain sensitively to children.
"I can't believe that these parents are quite happy to let their kids sit through junk food ads but then complain when an ad is shown which educates their children to real dangers," added Mac from Ipswich.
Coincidentally, the photograph of Madeleine McCann chosen for this news story is identical to the one I used for the last Daily Merlin insight yesterday (hence the reason I've used the Odeon logo above). Probably nothing in it ... at all. Its just that there have been so many coincidences regarding this case. I'd detected also the 'over-run' on Maddy being missing too. Kate McCann then announces in the last new's story that it is 'not too late to give her back' ... confirming the 'over-run' in the plans of someone who has Maddy. Synchronisation resumed perhaps?
