Mawdo Bailo thanks for the comprehensive report. Our sympathies to the assaulted Wal staff and management.  I think this is a complete madness.  It should be condemned by all freedom loving nations.  My heart bleeds for Senegal's private media.  

Such cowardly acts should not go unpunished.  The perpetrators should be brought to book. 



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-----Original Message-----

From:         bailo jallow <[log in to unmask]>



Date:         Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:55:43 

To: <[log in to unmask]>

Subject: I am impressed by the Senegalese people.





Personal Perspective



Surely, Last Friday, September 25th would go down in the history of Senegal as a dark day of infamy against the independent media; this was the day when vandals loyal to some influential personalities set about their attempts of terrorising employees and destroying technical property of the Walfajr group. The proprietor and Managing Director was briefly abducted from his home by this group of about a dozen thugs who also attacked the main Walfajr Station physically assaulting employees and vandalising material assets of the Station. Unfortunately for the misdirected miscreants and good for the cause of justice, their identities were clearly recorded by security cameras installed around the station. It now remains to be seen how the course of State justice would pursue the matter. 



I repeat that I was impressed by the Senegalese people. Yes indeed, I was and still am deeply heartened and reassured by the general reaction of the Senegalese people to such an unwaranted and inexcusable assault on the independent Press in their country. Foremost, leaders of all the influential Marabout families directly or through their various spokespersons immediately condemned the intimidatory attack on Walfajr and reassured the proprietor and his staff that they were respectively fully behind them. All the influential politicians from both the Government and opposition and other important personalities of Senegal lined up at Walfajr TV station to personally condemn the perpetrators of the crimes against Walfajr; the all-important powerful masses also turned up at Walfjr TV station in their thousands, with some clamouring to be authorised to sort out those who were suspected of being behind the attack. The big crowds that coverged at Walfajr TV

 station and at the home of the propriety of the Walfajr group were eventually persuaded by the propriety himself to restrain themselves by not taking the law into their own hands and allow State-directed redress to take its course. He made his intial plea for public calm and restraint from the rooftop of a car in the middle of a street and in the midst of a massive crowd chanting his name and extolling the Walfajr Group for their contribution to raising their awareness of the domestic and international scene. Walfjr is reknowned for their debates and discussion programmes on socio-cultural, economics, political, religious issues pertinent to the Senegalese nation. No viewpoints is left out; all perspectives are invited to contribute.



The reaction of the Senegalese people is a good omen to their country. Through it, they have all united to send a clear and strong signal to all and sundry especially to any aspiring tyrant that they,  the Senegales people are ready to stand firm in defence of their rights and freedoms. Those who commissioned the assaults should surely be convinced by the united and nationwide condemnation of their crimes that the Senegalese masses are instantly prepared to defend their God-granted rights of freedoms of speech; expression; association; assembly and the rest of it. 

I am seriously impressed by the Senegalese people. Should I not be?



Bailo










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