Debates about the alleged Assange rapes are designed to distract. We don't need famous faces on the telly telling us what rape is and what rape isn't.
Julian Assange should have been more careful about who he decided to go to bed with while visiting Sweden - that's evident enough - and the rape allegations need to be addressed and answered in a court of law at some point in time, if there is sufficient evidence for a prosecution. I don't think any intelligent person would disagree with that.
But of course Assange is right to fear extradition to the United States if aided by Sweden. Too many good people who have spoken out against the US government have lost their lives in the process. There is every reason to suspect Assange's life would be in danger one way or another if he found himself there.
On 19th August a speech from the highly respected journalist and film maker John Pilger was read out, outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. This is what he said...
I have known Julian since he came to London and gave the world vital information about Afghanistan and Iraq, which governments had suppressed and denied.
What is always left out of the public portrayal of Julian is the moral dimension of WikiLeaks. The very mention of morality, of principle, embarrasses those who consort with great power; but ordinary people recognise it straightaway and are not embarrassed; they're inspired.
WikiLeaks is about the public's right to know, and the right to practice the kind of real journalism that has made Julian powerful enemies — enemies he should wear as a badge of courage. Indeed, the whole point about Julian Assange is courage. That's why this is a day of triumph — triumph for human courage, for principle and for truth.
Julian has not broken free, not yet, but with the help of the admirable Rafael Correa and his comrades in this embassy, he has seized back the initiative from those who think they have a divine right to rule the world and to lie and commit war crimes in our name. We should celebrate our resistance and salute Julian.
Have to agree with you there. I think he should go to Sweden, because obviously something went wrong in there and he admitted himself to having had sex with the woman in the morning without asking first. Whilst it's not a violent rape, he made an assumption and that assumption was wrong. Okay, deal.
ReplyDeleteThing is, I have never in my life seen so many cops turn out to pick up a rapist. I haven't seen UK politicians ever threatening an embassy with invasion over harbouring a rape suspect. Perhaps there should be that strength of reaction, I don't know, but it certainly isn't normally how the establishment behaves. Assange is not by any reach of the imagination going to be a danger to society within that embassy, so why the big hurry to get him out when he's practically a prisoner already?
Oh yes... it's because the US Government, supported by the UK want to know who the wikileaks sources are. They know there are more whistleblowers than just little Bradley Manning. If the US get their hands on Assange, all whistleblowers will be in danger.