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March 28, 2024

Assange: no extradition! Action for positive change

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Julian Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy in 2014. Photo David G Silvers/Cancillería del Ecuador.

The controversy surrounding Julian Assange seems to be never-ending as the man himself languishes in a British gaol cell.

So many questions arise from his incarceration – Do you believe in the freedom of the press? Do you believe there is a global effort by governments to silence journalists? Do you believe it is up to all of us to take action to protect journalistic integrity and uncover political spin and cover-ups?

In February a meeting of those who answer ‘yes’ will be held in Mullum.

Assange: no extradition! Action for positive change will be held at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall as Julian Assange, who is currently imprisoned in Britain’s Belmarsh Prison, awaits extradition hearings brought by the US government, who want to try him for 18 charges, including conspiring to hack Pentagon computers and violating espionage laws.

The charges stem from Wikileak’s publication of a series of leaks provided by US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

Journalists are an absolute necessity

Assange’s father, John Shipton, says journalists are an absolute necessity. ‘WikiLeaks is a necessity,’ he said. ‘Julian is a necessity. I would just like to see the

Australian government ensure that Julian is not forcibly dragooned to a US prison; to bring him home to his family, to his friends.’

Heading the line up at the event is s Ciaron O’Reilly, lifetime peace activist, instigator and hero of countless international peace campaigns and tireless campaigner for Julian Assange during his years inside London’s Ecuadorean Embassy and at Belmarsh Prison.

Joining Ciaron on stage are author and journalist Mandy Nolan, lawyer, author and candidate for the Together Party Mark Swivel and articulate Extinction Rebellion activist Lily Smith.

A call to action

Event coordinator Liz Elliott says this isn’t just another talking heads occasion. ‘This is a call to action. During the evening, there will be ample opportunity for discussion, information on letter writing, how to create maximum attention and interest among media and politicians.

Australia must unite to bring Julian home. If tried and convicted, he faces decades of imprisonment. Know that you have done everything you could to avert this

miscarriage of justice.’

Entry to Assange: no extradition! is by donation with all profits going to the Free Assange campaign.

This event will be held at Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club on Wednesday, February 5 at 7pm.


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10 COMMENTS

  1. The new Liberal Wonder Man Hastie from WA was recently refused entry to China because he wanted to investigate the rights of minorities there.
    How about he goes to London to investigate the awful abuse of an Australian citizen

  2. This situation has nothing to do with” journalistic integrity”, or” freedom of the press” !
    Although it is obvious that many writing on this matter have settled for self-interest and are desperately hanging to the coat- tails of one, of very few, decent Australians prepared to risk their own interests in the cause of pointing out the truth, the fact that this country and it’s allies have illegally invaded, destroyed and then set to, to commit dreadful warcrimes, while the silence emanating those good souls in Australian media and all the journalists has been deafening .
    This brave,decent and heroic citizen has been subject to illegal political retaliation by those scum in Washington, while our government cowers in abject submission, or more probably complicity.
    Not since Breaker Morant, has this country so publically villified and abandoned one who should be the focus of our protection and respect ,
    That is the issue ! G”)

  3. Interesting this situation.

    I was very much a supporter of the work Wikileaks was doing until I read one of the recent, hmmm just before the carted him off to London, published hacks on US GOV DEPT EXPENDITURE. I think that’s what it was.
    This piece of information identified individual members of government.. say for example, someone hacked the council & published every single employees name, position & if they were spending money on plastic disposable coffee cups.. it went on. Pages in this document. You can call me an uneducated dummy if you like, I failed to see the relevance in the document only to put out people’s names out into the public.

    Certainly there was more in it than the examples coffee cups. Inane things like reams of cartridge paper & stuff like that & who requested them. It really left me scraping my head.

    The thing that really concerned me when I read it was there were hundreds of names of people who were just going to work & doing their jobs & suddenly, they could possibly become targets. It put ordinary people at risk for what, stationary?

    I have to say, I had to not only question the relevance of that document, it looked like a hack because they can. That was Wikileaks while he was in Ecuador.

    I absolutely respect journalistic freedom. We have the obligation to protect it. It’s necessary to have safe space to present truth, especially when it is to do with the things the US we covering up & situations like that.
    I think Julian Assange levelled the playing field & presented a truth that possibly & likely would have remained hidden. I think he did the global community a great service. I think though there is a level of discernment necessary as well.
    Putting people at risk for the sake of a hack, when there is no relevant info.. It’s no good reason & for me, that’s irresponsible.
    Do I think they are railroading him. Absolutely!
    Has Australia abandoned him? Yes! Smoko is DT’s mate. That was a great junket of love.

    I think they should let him go.

    Great big deceptions…. similarly…..
    Here’s a fun snippet…
    Smoko’s smoke over Brian Housten’s questionable invite to the White House Dinner while Marrise Payne was also in the States working… appropriate guest given the position. Did not take the Foreign Minister..
    Check out Pentecostal Church 7 Mountains Mandate.. it’s an agenda! An agenda!
    It’s easy to search. It’s why he was so ‘raggy’ On being questioned. Who really takes their preacher to the Whitehouse’? Why do you think it was leaked..

    Thanks guys. Hope Julian is bought home soon. He is a hero in many ways.. i think being stuck in a building in Ecuador possibly could have behaved with a little more gratitude since they gave him refuge & were legitimately trying to keep him safe until they had had enough of him. Anyways..

    Love & blessings

  4. Adding… my interpretation of the scenario during the end of Julian Assange’s stay at the embassy in Ecuador is definitely related to the Wikileaks hack on the Vatican. Ecuador is quite religious. I feel someone from the Vatican or the local church made a phone call to put him out. To make home available to the British.
    & so… I always look for ‘what just happened prior to the event’. It’s a good indicator..
    suddenly stories of ‘mud’ writing on walls, bad behaviour & something about a feline..
    could have been the straw…

    Love & blessings

  5. I totally agree with Ken.
    There is NO crime in freedom of speech and whistle-blowing. (i.e. Mr. Assange)
    There IS a crime in war crimes. (i.e. US)
    There IS a crime in the torture of an innocent man for having freedom of speech (i.e. US, England and Australia).

  6. Based on his own principles, I waver between sympathy and support for Assange and outrage at the numerous breaches of his rights, to disinterested disregard for his fate given his deliberate interference actions were a significant contributing factor towards inflicting Trump on the world…..
    He burned his support, undermined his own credibility and impartiality when he imitated Rupert and played kingmaker, moving from exposing deliberate institutional lies and misinformation, to dubiously casting partisan slurs and creating doubts like a tabloid newspaper. Despite Trumps’ policies and flaws he fed and supported him for over two years before Trump foreseeably abandoned him too. The phrase: “reap what you sow” sometimes comes to mind weighing up Assanges’ predicament.
    Maybe he has learned from arrogant mistakes and already suffered enough, and so is now deserving of political interference from Australia? (unlikely given the disdain shown by Scummo & Co. for compassion, empathy and justice.)

  7. I believe in Human Rights. I believe, that we should be able to use Human Rights International Law at the domestic level. See my PETITION to the UN – https://chn.ge/2Hpu2aa UN receipted my COMPLAINTS SUBMISSION on 5.11.15 – promised process and then no further response.

    I had legally used Human Rights International Law at the domestic level in the NSW Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court of Australia.

    I thought that a man was innocent, until proven guilty. So why is Julian in jail? Set him free.

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