Assange Arrested

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 pm, April 11th, 2019 - 515 comments
Categories: accountability, assets, International, Politics - Tags: , , , , ,

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested inside the Ecuadorian embassy.

Ecuador lifted his diplomatic protection, with President Lenin Moreno saying Assange had “repeatedly violated” the conditions of his asylum in his country’s London embassy.

It has been alleged that Wikileaks were involved in leaking details of President Moreno’s personal life.

Ecuador says it has been given assurances that Assange will not be extradited to any country that has the death penalty.

UK Police were invited into the embassy, where they arrested Assange on charges of breaching bail conditions relating to the now dropped Swedish rape case.

Wikileaks has responded by asking for money.

Video of the arrest from the Guardian:

https://youtu.be/8oqJiNzJQ_E?t=18

 

MORNING UPDATE:

  • Overnight, Assange appeared in court charged with skipping bail. He plead not guilty, but the judge was having none of it, calling his defence “laughable” and saying Assange had shown the “behaviour of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest”.
  • Assange has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on the 2nd of May. He faces up to a year in prison.
  • The United States has requested the extradition of Assange and charged him with involvement in computer hacking with Chelsea Manning. The Metropolitan police said the arrest was made on behalf of the US authorities.
  • The US justice department said Assange faces up to five years in jail if convicted.
  • The president of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, said he secured guarantees from the UK that Assange would not face the death penalty or torture. However, former President Rafael Correa, who granted Assange asylum, accused Moreno of treachery.
  • Elisabeth Massi Fritz, a lawyer for one of the two Swedish women who accused Assange of rape, welcomed the arrest. The Swedish prosecution authority has not yet commented.
  • Assange has lost one prominent supporter. Donald Trump has fallen out of love with Wikileaks, saying the organisation “was not his thing”.

 

 

 

 

515 comments on “Assange Arrested ”

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  1. James 1
    11 April 2019 at 10:17 pm

    Excellent news !!!!!!!!

    If he’s done wrong – he should be tried and if found guilty take his punishment – which could be a long long long time in a supermax.

    • Muttonbird 1.1
      11 April 2019 at 10:19 pm

      OMG. You’ve kept quiet as a mouse on the right wing inspired Christchurch mass murder, but shout from the roof tops about this.

      Says a lot about you.

      • James 1.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 10:25 pm

        Oh sorry muttonbird – I didn’t know you were so desperate to see my views on it.

        But hey let’s save that for another day and just enjoy this moment watching Assange being led away in handcuffs.

        • Muttonbird 1.1.1.1
          11 April 2019 at 10:28 pm

          Any view would have been good, but not a peep.

          It’s like it didn’t even happen in your world.

          • James 1.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 6:38 am

            I made a couple of comments – you are welcome to find them.

            Personally I chose to mainly keep quite on most of it because it was a sensitive topic and people tend to attack the person not the comment. So I didn’t want a flame war.

            Ironic that I try to do something out of respect and a half baked moron like you would try to use it as a tool.

            But since you bring it up muttonbird you are one of the more racist people on here. Your comments on immigrants and using derogatory terms for some people from a different country make people like you part of the problem not the solution.

            • Muttonbird 1.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 7:17 am

              You are confused. Perhaps you think I’m someone else.

              It is a shame you find yourself unable to comment on the Christchurch massacre for fear that very comment would be enough start a flame war. It shows that your comment history is all about starting flame wars. Or perhaps whatever it was you wanted to say was fairly objectionable? I suspect both.

      • cleangreen 1.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 6:25 am

        James is all about the merits of the ‘ultra right wing’ so he would keep quiet about CH CH wouldn’t he just?

    • Gabby 1.2
      12 April 2019 at 9:00 am

      Rub yourself down with sirloin jimbo, and your day will be perfect.

    • KJT 1.3
      12 April 2019 at 10:15 am

      You think a long time in a supermax is appropriate, for exposing State sponsored atrocities.
      Shows the state of your ethics, James.

      I have no problem with Assuange doing time in Sweden, if he is found guilty for what he did there.

      Whistle blowing on the US, deep state, is a community service.

      • Gabby 1.3.1
        12 April 2019 at 12:29 pm

        Hey, they’re only atrocities cos the peasants found out. Why those leakers are praxically the atrocitors.

      • BobandTurtle 1.3.2
        12 April 2019 at 12:40 pm

        You are wrong. It is treason. What is wrong is the Left thinking it is ok to make a country weaker, like the U.S Democrats (Socialists) wanting to open the borders and let terrorists, crime lords, murderers and drug smugglers into the U.S. Genuine refugees should claim asylum at a port of entry, not get smuggled over the border – got it?

        • Stuart Munro. 1.3.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 12:48 pm

          It’s not treason because Assange is not a yank. Only Oz can reasonably charge him with that, and thus far they haven’t.

        • Gabby 1.3.2.2
          13 April 2019 at 12:23 am

          Thought you rotties weren’t keen on a strong state shelly. Individual freedum and responsibility n all.

        • Shawn 1.3.2.3
          13 April 2019 at 9:05 pm

          BobandTurtle,

          “like the U.S Democrats (Socialists) wanting to open the borders”

          Two problems here. One, the majority of the Democratic Party are not socialists, they tend to be moderate centre left neo-liberals, and the minority that call themselves socialists are in fact European style social democrats, rather than genuine classical socialists.

          Two, the Democratic Party has never advocated open borders. It has in fact advocated far more effective means to secure the border than Trump, who has no intention of ever actually doing so as allowing that bleeding sore to continue is a useful wedge issue for him. Had he truly desired to secure the border he could have done so ages ago, with the Democrats help.

    • Tricledrown 1.5
      12 April 2019 at 11:35 am

      So the helicopter gunship soldiers who mowed down innocent people don’t even get prosecuted, while the journalist exercising free speech 1st ammendment gets life. This is that Vietnam moment when the little girl with napalm burning her back turned the tide of a futile war. Same here. Assange can’t be stupid enough not to have something up his sleeve ie the Pee tapes Putin will use this opportunity.

    • mosa 1.6
      12 April 2019 at 6:19 pm

      James if you could put aside your prejudices for once you would realise that in fact this ” excellent news ” is a declaration of war against the millions of people who would still be ignorant of the crimes committed by the real forces who control their lives.
      I tolerate your views most of the time but on this you are way over your head.

    • Carrie Smith 1.7
      15 April 2019 at 9:59 pm

      As should George Bush and Tony Blair. It is obvious he is being thrown to the dogs to show journalists it is unsafe to tell the truth. What would you have done if you were Chelsea Manning? chelsea Manning is back in jail too. Think about what is being supressed here. The US are very interested in getting this man. Why? Maybe they want to scare all f his sources too. The real problem here is that there are gov and coorporate crims who need to kept in check. Who will do it now? This is a terrible sign of our times. Check out this actual journalism https://consortiumnews.com/2019/04/12/assange-arrest-a-warning-from-history/

  2. TootingPopularFront 2
    11 April 2019 at 10:23 pm

    Doesn’t sound at all dodgy, arresting someone for breaking bail conditions relating to a case that has been dropped…
    Moreno has done precisely what the US got him elected to do…

    • te reo putake 2.1
      11 April 2019 at 10:32 pm

      The US arranged for a man named Lenin to be elected President? Sounds legit.

      • TootingPopularFront 2.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 11:27 pm

        Not sure I can think of any elections in South America that US has not engineered or attempted to engineer to some degree, but I’ll keep researching

      • Siobhan 2.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 10:02 am

        Great political insight there TRP..lets go down that path shall we…America voted someone called Obama to be President..sounds legit?

        • te reo putake 2.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 10:14 am

          Terrific analogy, Siobhan. There’s been so many communists who led revolutions named Obama. For example there’s … um, … er …

          Are you sure you aren’t confusing Obama with Osama? Easy mistake to make if you’re coffee deprived or a tin hat wearing red neck.

          • Siobhan 2.1.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 10:27 am

            How many kids in Ohio called Obama TRP..that was partly my point..which I made.
            Its, you know, ‘weird’ and African to the average American.
            As is Barack…which is his first name…I think it is you confusing Obama (surname) with Osama (first name).

            Maybe I should have made it easier for you and concentrated on his middle name, Hussein.

            The point is, names are not the defining ‘thing’ when it comes to American policy. But then anyone with half a brain knows that.

            Can’t see where I called it a Communist name..so, um, er, well done on the come back..but try again, maybe take a deep breath first.

            But I do love your insistence on calling me a red neck.

            Anyone not buying into American and UK Government policy around Assange is clearly, to your mind, a dimwitted uneducated ignoramus.

            Interesting.

            Also interesting that you resort to ‘red neck’ as an insult..defender of the working man that you are.

            And once again, Thanks again for you usual insightful commentary on important events.

            • te reo putake 2.1.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 10:35 am

              Yeah, nah. I didn’t call you a red neck, but the coffee deprived description appears to be apt. I guess you’ve never heard of Lenin. He was a communist. Look him up, he was good value. Died way too young, which lead to also sorts of unfortunate consequences.

              • BobandTurtle …
                12 April 2019 at 12:43 pm

                The most amusing communists are those that fight each other for power. Like Trotsky and Stalin or perhaps Adern and Winston……….

      • Rangimare 2.1.3
        12 April 2019 at 10:44 am

        What a low comment. His name could have been Vladimir Putin Moreno. As long as he supports the US it doesn’t matter what he’s called.

        • te reo putake 2.1.3.1
          12 April 2019 at 10:56 am

          Mate, I was just pointing out the irony inherent in the claim that the US was backing a man named Lenin. With any luck it’ll be the basis of the next Alexei Sayle TV show.

      • Gabby 2.1.4
        12 April 2019 at 12:31 pm

        Well Germany did pooty.

    • francesca 2.2
      11 April 2019 at 10:40 pm

      He’s also presided over a return to right wing economics

      https://jacobinmag.com/2019/03/lenin-moreno-rafael-correa-ecuador

    • cleangreen 2.3
      12 April 2019 at 7:49 am

      TootingPopularFront

      You are making an error.

      First you use the words “Doesn’t sound at all dodgy, arresting someone for breaking bail conditions relating to a case that has been dropped”

      So how an you arrest someone on any charged that had been dropped?

      Remember that Hillary Clinton burnt ‘classified’ files that NSA/FBI requested she hand over?

      She was never arrested on those actions,
      *but now the new Solicitor General is opening a case on this issue,”

      So my question is; – Is he doing what the “US got him elected to do????.

      • TootingPopularFront 2.3.1
        12 April 2019 at 8:15 am

        Apologies, should have added /Sara after the first line, and yes, from what I understand about the latest Ecuadorian elections, the US and Moreno were on the same page about Assange, so this turn of events should (paraphrasing Pompeo) surprise no one

      • lprent 2.3.2
        12 April 2019 at 8:41 am

        So how an you arrest someone on any charged that had been dropped?

        Not appearing in court after posting bail is a criminal act and offense in its own right. Courts tend to get downright finickity about it.

        So do I. Hopefully he will get a strong sentence from that. He certainly deserves it.

        However,

        The US extradition request is downright ludicrous on the face of it. As I understand it, they are charging him for being involved in the hack that Chelsea Manning did. That is even after leaving aside the 1st amendment issues (and I can’t see how that can happen), the evidence beyond that goes beyond being thin.

        They’d have to establish that he provided material help. At present that appears to be that they’d have to prove that Assange was the particular person behind a pseudonym – which seems unlikely without a confession from Assange. The chat conversations they’re relying on don’t sound like much help was given in the act of accessing the information. There is talk about a password being used – that they have no evidence was in fact used, nor that they have evidence that anyone helped with accessing.

        Basically, the US case appears to be completely based on getting Assange in a room to force him to confess. I rather suspect that is what any extradition hearing would come down to. Because at present it doesn’t appear that the US have ANY criminal acts to charge him with.

        As such, it should be denied by an english court.

        • te reo putake 2.3.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 9:00 am

          Here’s a case in London yesterday that indicates Assange’s likely sentence for skipping bail:

          https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-47892602

          This guy was convicted of manslaughter after a speedboat accident on the Thames. He was on the run for 8 months and got six months jail for that crime, on top of a longer sentence for the death he caused.

          Assange presumably will get at least that six months, and likely a few months more.

          • Rangimare 2.3.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 10:47 am

            His lawyer is also expecting him to be extradited to the US within 20 hours.

            • lprent 2.3.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 12:00 pm

              It is unlikely.

              If the Swedes decide to resume their request, then they’d get priority.
              If not, then I strongly suspect that the bail skipping would take priority.

              A mere conspiracy to hack a computer charge from the US should be lower on the list.

              Unlike the Swedish request (done under EAW) It’d also have to be shown that there was even a charge to answer and that it wasn’t a political extradition – which is what it looks like.

              • alwyn …
                12 April 2019 at 12:14 pm

                The lawyer for the Swedish woman involved certainly seems to want to get the case re-instated.

                “The lawyer for the woman who claims Assange raped her in Sweden in 2010 said in a tweet on Thursday that she and her team would “do everything we possibly can to get the Swedish police investigation re-opened so that Assange can be extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape. No rape victim should have to wait 9 years to see justice be served.”

                The case against Assange in Sweden was dropped by prosecutors in May 2017 — not because of any conclusion about his guilt or innocence, but because they accepted there wasn’t any reasonable chance of prosecuting him as he remained holed-up in London.”

                Now that he is out of the Embassy there would certainly be a “reasonable chance” of prosecuting him
                https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/julian-assange-arrested-wikileaks-london-ecuador-embassy-today-live-updates-04-11-2019/

        • mikesh 2.3.2.2
          12 April 2019 at 12:51 pm

          He couldn’t very well appear in court if he was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy. Extenuating circumstances I would have thought. Or is the court entitled to arrive at a judgment on the political ramifications of his seeking sanctuary.

    • Tricledrown 2.4
      12 April 2019 at 11:42 am

      Trumped up charges

  3. Steve 3
    11 April 2019 at 10:41 pm

    “Wikileaks has responded by asking for money”. What sort of low smear is that?

    • Siobhan 3.1
      12 April 2019 at 10:14 am

      The usual for round these parts..remember this is a fully paid up centrist msm ‘Powers that Be are our Friends’ echo chamber.

      Hoskings would be quite at home here when it comes to discussing overseas news.

      https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2095893597195901

      • Adrian Thornton 3.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:35 am

        As it turns out most of the people here who today gleefully revel in this news are mostly the same people who until a couple of weeks ago considered the known FBI war hawk and blatant lair, Robert Mueller to be a friend and great bed fellow, so that they now find themselves in bed with Mike Hosking should come as no surprise, if it hasn’t been obvious before today, it has been laid bare today…these people have no credibility whatsoever.

      • maggieinnz 3.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 10:47 am

        That’s the most ridiculous statement I’ve seen from you Siobhan. Being so one-eyed doesn’t help promote open discussion but as usual those that don’t feel their opinions have been validated whine about echo chambers mostly because they don’t have one.

        • mauī 3.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 11:09 am

          For one interested in open discussion, you’ve done a decent job on closing down Siobhan there….

          • maggieinnz 3.1.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 3:18 pm

            Good. I’d expect the same to be said to me if I got my nose outta joint because someone disagreed with me and starting whining about TS.

  4. McFlock 4
    11 April 2019 at 10:44 pm

    I, for one, have a purely recreational interest in whether he ends up in Cuba as predicted.

    I think not. If his legal team can demonstrate that his paranoia was a genuinely held belief, he might not even get a term in custody. That would be hilarious.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1
      11 April 2019 at 11:25 pm

      “Hilarious”! “lol”

      “The Wikileaks founder was dragged screaming from the embassy.” [What a ‘girl‘!]

      https://nytimespost.com/assange-is-no-hero-wikileaks-founder-has-hidden-from-the-truth-for-years-jeremy-hunt/

      • McFlock 4.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 11:57 pm

        Yup, the santa claus beard was pretty funny, too.

        • Brigid 4.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 6:21 pm

          That comment says so much about you McFlock but merely refers to Assange’s appearance.

          • McFlock 4.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 6:32 pm

            Yes, it does only refer to his appearance. His appearance was most amusing. His role in creating wikileaks was inspiring. His apparent sexual assaults and then flight from facing his accusers was a tragic disappointment.

      • simbit 4.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 12:48 am

        Don’t use girl as an insult.

      • WeTheBleeple 4.1.3
        12 April 2019 at 6:23 am

        You ever get dragged off by people aligned with a regime of war and torture…

        Let’s hope it never comes to that.

        US don’t want justice they want revenge. Justice is the ghost holding a torch that haunts NY harbor.

        • cleangreen 4.1.3.1
          12 April 2019 at 6:29 am

          Wethebleeple

          Well said.

        • James 4.1.3.2
          12 April 2019 at 6:58 am

          Pretty easy not to be dragged off.

          Don’t brake the law.

          Easy huh.

          • WeTheBleeple 4.1.3.2.1
            12 April 2019 at 7:05 am

            I think the literary police may be looking for you young man.

            When breaking the law involves uncovering state sanctioned murder you might sit in your cubby hole quietly and hope they don’t come for you, others have balls and stand up to evil.

            Even when they are flawed themselves.

            Redemption will never come at the hands of the US. They are utterly corrupt.

            • Sabine 4.1.3.2.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 7:31 am

              He has done some good things and he has done some bad shit.

              leaking the personal information of thousands of women in Turkey to the public was despicable.

              also, this serves as a reminder, Do not shit the bed you sleep in. IF given sanctuary, treat your hosts with nicely. After all you are sleeping/eating/living in their house.

              And above all do not have sex without a condom when it is agreed upon that you only have intercourse while wearing a condom.

              for a supposedly intelligent man this guy has done some really stupid shit.

            • KJT 4.1.3.2.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 10:06 am

              https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/julian-assange-arrested-journalists-defend/586936/
              “More simply than that, while Julian Assange might deserve punishment for other things he is accused of having done in his life, he does not deserve to be punished for what he published in 2010. Barring some new and major revelation, neither extradition nor prosecution over his work with WikiLeaks is merited.
              Assange might be an asshole. Scratch that; Assange is an asshole. But we’re going to have to stand up for him anyway”.

              Otherwise anyone who tries to expose state murder, and malfeasance, like Manning, and Wikileaks, will think twice, while the guilty continue under the radar.

          • Tricledrown 4.1.3.2.2
            12 April 2019 at 12:13 pm

            James the helicopter gunship broke many laws. Murdering innocent people then covering it up. Brave people have stuck their neck out to expose a horrible War crime. Yet the perpetrators get immunity from the laws while the whistle blowers face the full force of the Trumped up charges.
            Excusing covering up murder is an acessary to a crime.

        • mpledger 4.1.3.3
          12 April 2019 at 10:06 am

          And they are more than happy to exact revenge on foreigners when they can’t exact that revenge on Americans because of the constitution.

    • Rangimare 4.2
      12 April 2019 at 10:48 am

      Are you talking about Hoskings?

  5. Steve 5
    11 April 2019 at 10:49 pm

    The placement of your comment “Wikileaks has responded by asking for money” seems deliberately placed to trivialise and denigrate the organisation. You know fully that the DONATE request in the link implies it is for his ongoing defence.

    I expect better from a site I respect.

    • te reo putake 5.1
      12 April 2019 at 8:14 am

      Steve, it was literally the second thing Wikileaks tweeted after Assange’s arrest. It’s not my fault Assange’s pro-capitalist and anti-democracy organisation prioritises money capture so highly.

      Never let a good crisis go unexploited would be their thinking, I guess.

      • xanthe 5.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:00 am

        Interestingly there are several “supporters” of assange online taking donations to support their efforts to “support” assange, its an interesting business model

      • KJT 5.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 10:09 am

        Exposing the US State committing atrocities was “anti- democratic and pro-capitalist?”

        Bullshit.

      • Rangimare 5.1.3
        12 April 2019 at 10:50 am

        My goodness. So please tell why is Wikileaks pro capitalist and anti democracy?

        Why are you even allowed to write for this site?

        Your comments are based on ignorance, anger and fear. Why don’t they get a more educated person to write the articles?

        Disgusting!

        • te reo putake 5.1.3.1
          12 April 2019 at 11:04 am

          Comment o’ the Day! I knew it was only a matter of time before I was exposed. I’ll get me hat and coat and be on my way …

          • Rangimare 5.1.3.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 11:52 am

            Perhaps you need to watch this to be better informed about the minutiae and the larger issues surrounding Assange. I know ‘gasp’ it’s RT but 4 Americans speak about JA’s arrest and context and background. You really need to be better informed and have an open mind. It’s not good enough.

            Ray McGovern – Army infantry/intelligence officer and then served as a CIA analyst for 27 years,

            Joe Lauria – veteran foreign-affairs journalist based at the U.N. since 1990. He has written for the Boston Globe, the London Daily Telegraph, the Johannesburg Star, the Montreal Gazette, the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers.

            Sara Flounders is an American political writer who has been active in ‘progressive’ and anti-war organizing since the 1960s. She is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party, as well as a principal leader of the International Action Center.

            https://youtu.be/X5NdP7zktJg

            • te reo putake 5.1.3.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 1:08 pm

              Thanks, Rangimarie, I’ll watch the clip and let you know my reckons on it.

            • te reo putake 5.1.3.1.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 3:38 pm

              Kia ora, Rangimare, I’ve had a look and these are my observations:

              4 participants, a host and 3 guests, all in tune with each other. Two are from the same organisation, which seems odd. However, the 3 guests seem reasonably credible (though one seemed a bit of a ‘deep state’ obsessive, so she loses points).

              However, the lack of a counter point is weird and runs at odds with the principle of balance. It would have been good to have at least one devil’s advocate to spice it up. All a bit echo chambery.

              The first words are that Assange will be charged with espionage and the conversation flows from there. Given that he hasn’t (yet) been charged with that crime, a lot of the speculation around that was a waste of time.

              It was really obvious that they weren’t going to discuss either the crimes he was accused of in Sweden, nor the crime he has been convicted of today. So it was all a bit tame, really.

              The assertions that this was a grim day for journalism were not tested (and given that the yanks are after him for hacking, not publishing, that seems a little presumptuous).

              In summary, not an in depth or challenging discussion because of the lack of alternative viewpoints and it contributed very little of substance. However, it was recorded immediately after the arrest, so I suppose that ‘gut feeling’ approach is to be expected.

              • Rangimarie …
                13 April 2019 at 9:48 am

                1. “4 participants, a host and 3 guests, all in tune with each other. Two are from the same organisation, which seems odd. However, the 3 guests seem reasonably credible (though one seemed a bit of a ‘deep state’ obsessive, so she loses points)…….”
                Response:
                This is a discussion, convened quickly as you say to discuss aspects of the JA case, what happened with his arrest and the ramifications of his arrest. It is a discussion about what JA has achieved and his contribution to ‘truth, justice and freedom of the press.’ It is one sided in that the panelists are providing factual evidence and yes opinions about what this may lead to re press freedoms.

                2. The first words are that Assange will be charged with espionage and the conversation flows from there.
                Given that he hasn’t (yet) been charged with that crime, a lot of the speculation around that was a waste of time.
                Response;
                My guess is you watched this lead in and then literally turned off. Also included is the word ‘expected’. The rest of the conversation did not flow from this. But instead this is what happened;

                1. Discussion of MSM actions since Assange’s arrest
                2. The MSM willingness to use material Assange published
                3. The Material Wikileaks published, eg Afghanistan and Iraq govt war crimes –Guantanamo, Clinton emails amongst others
                4. JA’s links with Chelsea Manning and the treatment of her since her pardon
                5. Flounders; “ JA’s contribution to truth, justice and freedom of the press”
                6. Lavelle; “Power is at it’s weakest point because unable to communicate its position… (about why it has) legitimacy of power. Unable to engage in discussion or debate. It denies the other side and relies on coercion. It relies on authority, not debate and discussion”
                7. Joe Lauria “Corporate media takes the side of the governers’ not the governered”.
                8. Discussion of what JA is charged with and why the govt acted to have the case rest on this , ie Espionage by helping Chelsea Manning break a password/code (@10.20mins)
                9. The strength of the govts case.
                10. How govt secrecy should be challenged and how the ‘lid’ is coming of govt criminal/secrecy activity world wide. Leading to;
                11. Asylum and limit of speech, intimidation of those who speak up
                12. Wikileaks and the ability to get leaks – latest leak – CIA newest weapon 700million, vault 7 left ‘breadcrumbs’ re so called Russian hack.
                13. Why MSM props up intelligence orgs

                3. It was really obvious that they weren’t going to discuss either the crimes he was accused of in Sweden, nor the crime he has been convicted of today. So it was all a bit tame, really.
                Rsponse
                News for you; The Sweden thing has finished. Google Wikipedia, ABC, BBC, RT etc etc.

                4. The assertions that this was a grim day for journalism were not tested (and given that the yanks are after him for hacking, not publishing, that seems a little presumptuous).
                Response
                Here are tweets from those famous ‘right wingers’ [sac] on that subject;
                Tulsi Gabbard; “The purpose of arresting #JulianAssange is to send a message to the people, especially journalists, to be quiet and don’t get out of line. If we, the people, allow the government to control us through fear, we are no longer free, we are no longer America.”
                Glen Greenwald; There is so much driving the hatred many journalists harbor for Assange. But a huge part of it is professional jealousy: WikiLeaks broke more massive stories than most of these reporters will ever get close to in their lives, all without joining their insular journalism club.
                Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbot;
                https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1116424423953903616
                (NB this has a video of the shooting down of journalists and civilians by the US military shared by Chelsea Manning)
                The Intercept;
                The Trump DOJ is exploiting animosity toward Assange to launch a thinly disguised effort to criminalize core functions of investigative journalism.
                No it hasn’t been tested. But really a blind flying pig can see the the impact of JA’s pillaring is going to have on the ‘courage’ of journalism.
                5. In summary, not an in depth or challenging discussion because of the lack of alternative viewpoints and it contributed very little of substance. However, it was recorded immediately after the arrest, so I suppose that ‘gut feeling’ approach is to be expected.
                Response
                This shows how much you listen and understood what the participants were saying. What a patronizing, arrogant person. When Nicky Hagger and Jon Stephenson are pillared for trying to expose govt wrong doing, we should stand back and say “oh, what about their traffic fines or some other inane red herring?” And oh they didn’t put a capital letter on the name of that village.” You looked more at the organisation of the programme, than the substance of what was being said. It’s alternative media publishing government wrong-doing ‘they’ are going after.
                Are you guys alternative media or mainstream? And do you think you are safe?

                PS. I’ve wasted half a morning debunking your sloppiness. And you don’t believe in the ‘deep state’? You really need to get out more.

                • Shawn …
                  13 April 2019 at 9:13 pm

                  An anti-Semite and a pro-Kremlin state propaganda faux news service agree. I’m shocked.

                  • Rangimarie …
                    14 April 2019 at 9:23 am

                    Sad, deluded white supremicist.

                    [You’ve got no evidence for this claim. Any more pointless abuse and you’ll be having an early shower. TRP]

                    • Rangimarie …
                      14 April 2019 at 10:38 am

                      And s/he has no evidence to make the claim s/he made. But you don’t appear to think s/he needs an early shower. That was my point exactly. Evidence is needed. Not outrageous, inflamatory claims.

          • Shona 5.1.3.1.2
            12 April 2019 at 11:56 am

            Excellent! so fuck off then!!!!!

          • Rangimarie 5.1.3.1.3
            14 April 2019 at 10:40 am

            Not that I’m afraid of being blocked. But yes you are right. I did go too far with that comment and some other personal comments. Sooorrryyy!

            • te reo putake 5.1.3.1.3.1
              14 April 2019 at 12:04 pm

              All good, Rangimarie. I know this issue is quite a passionate matter for a lot of TS readers and I’ve let a lot of edgy comments lie as they fall. It’s a tribute to the intelligence of our community here that commenters have been mostly robust, rather than abusive.

      • Adrian Thornton 5.1.4
        12 April 2019 at 1:39 pm

        trp..great to see you display so much well thought out balance today, is it any wonder that today is the day when the inevitable happened, ah yes you and Hoskings finally converged, and it was a thing of beauty to behold, both fearless defenders of fair and balanced reporting, one from the right the other from the left, together carving a exquisite straight line down the center (right)….

  6. reason 6
    11 April 2019 at 11:00 pm

    James only likes rule breakers like Uber, Judith Collins …. and other tax dodgers…
    rapey companies …..and leaders like Bolosonaro …..are charismatic to our James

    The USA have gone full spectrum white supremacist militant empire …..

    Julian Assange was 100% correct when he pointed out right wing, israel loving, hard line christians….were Trumps only establishment support group.

    We are seeing the fruits of this corrupt derrangement …… any fools who do not stand up for Assange …. should not moan when they come for other challengers of power….

    people like Nicky Hager , John Piger , Glen Greenwald …. the same people who support Assange

    James would like to see them gone too

    Trump around the 7 minute mark

    • cleangreen 6.1
      12 April 2019 at 6:31 am

      Reason; Yes you are correct.

      James is a beacon of ultra right wing politics, so we should ignore his hatred.

      It is poison to the soul.

    • James 6.2
      12 April 2019 at 6:33 am

      “people like Nicky Hager , John Piger , Glen Greenwald …. the same people who support Assange

      James would like to see them gone too”

      You don’t get to talk for me – unless you are happy for me to speak for you as well.

      I’m all for people who are charged with crimes to stand trial. Nothing wrong with that.

      • reason 6.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 7:12 am

        you don’t get to post screes of often contradictory bile and expect others not to notice and comment on it …. James ….

        So I’m talking of you talking for yourself troll….. you can come back at me for any positions or posts I’ve ever made … as long as your truthful

        Just like I can point out your sleazy rape culture posts … during the waikato chiefs
        sexual assault allegations controversy and your defense efforts ….

        And Did you ever speak out about Woman visitors to our country being sexually assaulted by our customs agents / immigration service …..because they had a Dotcom connection …. and a key / national connection … did you ?.

        How about now … should that be investigated and prosecuted ? … the whole rotten thing .

        Or just one side with you ?.

    • James 6.3
      12 April 2019 at 7:11 am

      The irony – esp as you are supporting someone who is aledged rapist.

      • Muttonbird 6.3.1
        12 April 2019 at 7:20 am

        Says the guy who claps Hosking calculatedly playing Michael Jackson songs.

        • cleangreen 6.3.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 7:53 am

          + 100%

        • James 6.3.1.2
          12 April 2019 at 8:35 am

          Your comment highlights your stupidity.

          You called Michael Jackson pedo when he was found NOT guilty.

          But support a person charged with rape who runs to try and avoid going to court.

          You are a racist and a rape apologist. As I said before people like you are the problem not the solution.

          • Muttonbird 6.3.1.2.1
            12 April 2019 at 8:44 am

            I’m not supporting Julian Assange – I couldn’t care less about Julian Assange although I note he hasn’t been found guilty of anything.

            You however have no issue with adults having sleepovers with children.

            Odd.

            • Tuppence Shrewsbury 6.3.1.2.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 10:34 am

              And you seem to believe that if a person is against what your perceive as right wing, any crime is forgivable.

              A position doctrinally similar to the Catholic Church, systematic kiddie fiddlers.

              Says a lot about you muttonbird

              • Muttonbird …
                12 April 2019 at 1:12 pm

                Umm, I’m not the one defending a pedophile here.

                • James …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:39 pm

                  I believe you have probably been found guilty of being a pedophile the exact same number of times the person you accuse of being one has. (In fact he was found not guilty)

                  • Daveosaurus …
                    14 April 2019 at 1:22 am

                    Yes, Michael Jackson has been found guilty as many times as Jimmy Savile has.

                • Tuppence Shrewsbury …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:54 pm

                  just condoning the environment they operate In

          • francesca 6.3.1.2.2
            12 April 2019 at 9:13 am

            He has not been charged with rape. There are no charges .

  7. francesca 7
    11 April 2019 at 11:52 pm

    Whats more , he’s been arrested on request of the US government, not Sweden
    Video footage from Ruptly, which has been there since the 5th
    In their own back yard… BBC left dozing

    • McFlock 7.1
      12 April 2019 at 12:02 am

      Assange’s lawyer has claimed there is an extradition request from the US.

      We’ll see. His legal team have made several dubious claims over the years.

      • Brigid 7.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 12:07 am

        What were these dubious claims?

        • McFlock 7.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 12:34 am

          That the Swedish charges were for “sex by surprise”, and also everything the british court systems threw out

          • James 7.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 7:08 am

            “Sex by surprise”.

            Citation.

            It looks like they might try can charge him with the rape charge still as the statue of limitations has not run out.

            Funny how a rape charge gets called “sex by surprise” by some – personally I hope he gets charged with this as well – the victim deserves justice if he is found guilty.

        • Sabine 7.1.1.2
          12 April 2019 at 7:39 am

          the dubious claims where that sex was supposed to be with condom only and that he surprised her in the mornings by going about business without a condom.

          Now maybe the women in question does like the feel of condoms, or maybe she is not on the pill and does not want to have to deal with an unwanted pregnancy, or maybe she is afraid of sexual transmitted diseases……what do i know,

          but how dare the women demand to only be fucked by Julian Assange with a condom. How dare she. Should she not be happy to have been anointed with the semen of the special one and rejoice. Right?

          Anyways, seems that Sweden considers anything not consented as a form of rape. Or ‘surprise sex’ not consented too.

          But then maybe you don’t care about consent?

          as i said above, for a supposed intelligent man, this guy has done some truly stupid stupid shit, and as the old saying goes, Stupidity does not protect you from harm.

          • James 7.1.1.2.1
            12 April 2019 at 8:37 am

            Seems some in here are ok with rape if you yell “surprise” at the end of it (as long as your political views align)

            No non-consensual sex is ok. I see that they may be trying to reopen the rape charges.

            • KJT 7.1.1.2.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 10:23 am

              Some of us here think he should face charges for a crime he may well have done. In Sweden.

              Without facing charges for something else has done in the USA, which should NOT, be a crime. Because it embarrassed war criminals, in the US Government.
              We’ve already seen the over the top revenge, exacted on Chelsea Manning.

              If you think that is supporting rapists, you are even more deluded than I thought.

            • Ike 7.1.1.2.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 7:55 pm

              Seems some people here are ok with US helicopter gunships murdering innocents. Seems some people here are ok with the Democratic party cheating Bernie Sanders out of the chance to be president. Seems some people here are ok with Hilary Clinton “We came we saw he died” not being exposed for the war-munger she is.
              Julian Assange is a hero and those journalists, comedians and commenters who attempt to bring him down are not and they can’t forgive him for exposing their lack of ethics and cowardice in the face of state power.

              • James …
                12 April 2019 at 8:31 pm

                “Julian Assange is a hero and a rapist according to women abused by him”

                Fixed it for you

                • Ike …
                  13 April 2019 at 1:05 pm

                  Maybe maybe not. The powers that be never gave him an opportunity to have his day in court without the threat of extradition to the USA. You know that country that has re-arrested Chelsea Manning for exposing war crimes by the USA. That country that wont allow the International Criminal Court to enter the USA to investigate alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
                  Lets keep a sense of proportion about what is globally important and what might be very distressing for one person but may be an event engineered by the usual suspects.

          • Blazer' 7.1.1.2.2
            12 April 2019 at 8:57 am

            ‘he surprised her in the mornings by going about business without a condom.’

            One morning…maybe…more-credibility gap.

            • Sabine 7.1.1.2.2.1
              12 April 2019 at 9:38 am

              not sure what your comment is about.

              they agreed on condoms,
              he proceeded without her consent without a condom.

              for men that might mean very little, but let me assure you that a great many babies have been born or a great many fetuses have been aborted because of the lack of condoms. So for fuck sake, if a women is not gonna fuck you without one, then don’t fuck her while she sleeps without a condom.

              How hard can that be? How hard can it be for a grown up man to simply not go about spilling his seed for shits n giggles and to the detriment of the women and maybe even the child that he fathers but not want?

              and this in a nutshell is the stupidity of j.a. The not giving a shit about the consequences of his actions on others.

              • francesca …
                12 April 2019 at 9:58 am

                Well I must say Sabine, the authorities have pursued him with the full weight of the law for that crime. Meanwhile trying to get a serious sexual assault(acute pain and injury) to court involves being mocked, demeaned and humiliated, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
                The authorities are very selective in their moral choices.

                • maggieinnz …
                  12 April 2019 at 11:06 am

                  As is usually the case with sexual assault charges they cite a lack of evidence because, you know, us women make up shit because we feel guilty or some shit [sarc].

                  This is the inherent problem with getting convictions for rape and sexual assaults. Because the violence is usually done away from witnesses (other than the victim whose evidence doesn’t mean shit to the courts) it comes down to his word against hers and as I’ve heard far too many times – “we wouldn’t want to ruin a man’s career, relationship, or future based on unproven allegations.”

                  “The authorities are very selective in their moral choices.”
                  Yes they bloody well are.

              • Blazer …
                22 April 2019 at 10:24 pm

                'surprised sex'…very good..all encounters should have terms and conditions agreed by the participants in a sexual act.

                All done in the best ../possible taste'!

            • maggieinnz 7.1.1.2.2.2
              12 April 2019 at 10:57 am

              Perhaps you should avoid using journalistic narratives for forming opinions of credibility.

              Unlawful coercion – On 13-14 August 2010, in the home of the injured party [AA] in Stockholm, Assange, by using violence, forced the injured party to endure his restricting her freedom of movement. The violence consisted in a firm hold of the injured party’s arms and a forceful spreading of her legs whilst lying on top of her and with his body weight preventing her from moving or shifting.
              Sexual molestation: On 13-14 August 2010, in the home of the injured party [AA] in Stockholm, Assange deliberately molested the injured party by acting in a manner designed to violate her sexual integrity. Assange, who was aware that it was the expressed wish of the injured party and a prerequisite of sexual intercourse that a condom be used, consummated unprotected sexual intercourse with her without her knowledge.
              Sexual molestation: On 18 August 2010 or on any of the days before or after that date, in the home of the injured party [AA] in Stockholm, Assange deliberately molested the injured party by acting in a manner designed to violate her sexual integrity i.e. lying next to her and pressing his naked, erect penis to her body.
              Rape – On 17 August 2010, in the home of the injured party [SW] in Enköping, Assange deliberately consummated sexual intercourse with her by improperly exploiting that she, due to sleep, was in a helpless state. It is an aggravating circumstance that Assange, who was aware that it was the expressed wish of the injured party and a prerequisite of sexual intercourse that a condom be used, still consummated unprotected sexual intercourse with her. The sexual act was designed to violate the injured party’s sexual integrity.
              https://web.archive.org/web/20130310021505/http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Judgments/assange-summary.pdf

      • francesca 7.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 12:14 am

        from the Guardian

        “The United States has requested the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after he was arrested at the Ecuadorean embassy in London. The Metropolitan police said the arrest was made on behalf of the US authorities.”

        https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/julian-assange-arrested-wikileaks-london-ecuador-embassy-today-live-updates-04-11-2019/

        • McFlock 7.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 12:37 am

          Ah. Fair enough then – another couple of years of extradition court cases. He might even have a reasonable case against this one. I wonder if he’ll get bail this time lol.

    • cleangreen 7.2
      12 April 2019 at 6:37 am

      Yes Francesca,

      And Ruptly also concentrates the issue of his rights to free speech and the statues of limitations of five years and the charges US is citing is 9yrs old so he could win in a court of law if the judge was a fair, so will he get a fair judge in UK?.

      Extradition will be involving these tenants for over a year they say.

  8. Stuart Munro. 8
    12 April 2019 at 12:04 am

    I wonder if Brexit would have saved Assange from this.

    There’s no doubt that some of his early work, releases of drone footage of civilian kills for example, was what might be hoped of the best of serious journalists. Many of the diplomatic communications he released did not reach that standard however – a degree of secrecy is desirable in negotiating processes, unless some particularly invidious truth is being kept from the public. His interest in releasing those was more self-serving.

    But breaching bail conditions on a dropped case? Bit of a stretch. May curries favour with 45 I guess – a bit silly really – gratitude ain’t mango Mussolini’s strong suit.

    • McFlock 8.1
      12 April 2019 at 12:10 am

      No legal system likes people playing silly buggers with it.

      I’d be looking for trade/aid deals for Ecuador from the US. Assange could well be such a tosser that they’d give up that chip for a bargain basement price, but I’d be surprised if he fucked himself out of asylum solely by the sheer force of his personality.

      If the extradition talk is anything other than a wet dream from his defense team, it might well be that he just put himself on ice until the yanks had their case fully prepared. Irony.

      • francesca 8.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 12:29 am

        McFlock, I would say the extradition is absolutely real. The US has made no bones about it.
        https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/us/politics/julian-assange-indictment-wikileaks.html
        I’m really staggered by the amount of sexual imagery you guys employ.

        • McFlock 8.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 12:40 am

          Met police have confirmed it.

          As for sexual imagery, nah. Words can have more than one meaning.

          • maggieinnz 8.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 12:58 am

            I’ll play devil’s advocate and ask what other meaning does “wet dream” have?

            • francesca 8.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 1:06 am

              and “tosser”..I don’t think its about pancakes
              “Fucked himself” self explanatory

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 1:15 am

                “tosser” = “jerk”

                If it were sexual, fucking oneself would be a pleasant past-time, rather than an act of self destruction.

                Anyway, I’m off to bed. The dude isn’t worth staying awake for.

            • McFlock 8.1.1.1.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 1:13 am

              Oh, actually that one’s a fair call. My bad. Substitute “intensely desired fantasy” if you prefer. Seems to not be, anyway.

              So if he got himself kicked out of the flat purely because of his behaviour, he’s a more massive jerk and fool than I thought.

              • maggieinnz …
                12 April 2019 at 4:41 am

                I don’t consider “fuck/fucked himself/ or any variation of fuck to be sexual imagery. There’s a certain art to being fluent in Fuckish.

                The sexual imagery isn’t a problem, in fact they make apt metaphors. I just thought it was interesting that Francesca picked up on it whilst you dismissed it. You’re usually (IMO) quite observant.

                • McFlock …
                  14 April 2019 at 8:18 pm

                  Not at 1am lol

                  I also get short tempered now the “assange matter” (as the Swedes call it) gets brought up every couple of years, with the same old BS of how he was going to be sent to gitmo, the pretense that “no formal charges in Sweden” means “no case against him”, the varying levels of minimising and slandering the accusers and alleged offending, and all the other same old shit that comes up every. single. time.

                  I wouldn’t mind it if the discussion moves on, but it’s like each new mention of the dude in the media resets the debate back to first principles. It’s Groundhog Day for rape culture.

                  I’m not at my best when tired and grumpy.

                  • Psycho Milt …
                    14 April 2019 at 8:28 pm

                    It’s Groundhog Day for rape culture.

                    That could be a subject tag for every post made about Assange here. (Referring to the ensuing comments thread, not the posts!)

      • Gabby 8.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 9:20 am

        The yankers will sell him some arms cheap, special loyalty prices, ongoing support.

    • francesca 8.2
      12 April 2019 at 12:23 am

      Personally, I’m grateful for the TPP stuff we’d otherwise not have known about, and the leaked and published cables concerning the atrocious plight of the Chagos Islanders served them well in their recent court case at the ICJ

      http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1902/S00131/the-chagos-islands-case-wikileaks-and-justice.htm

      • McFlock 8.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 12:29 am

        most definitely.

        Shame he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.

        • francesca 8.2.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 12:30 am

          There you go again, this is not about his penis

          • McFlock 8.2.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 12:42 am

            Yep, it totally is, that’s why he was in there. That’s why he’s a complicated figure, rather than a simple hero or a saint. Because of what he allegedly did with his penis, and his efforts to avoid facing up to those allegations.

            • Poission 8.2.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 12:56 am

              Sweden dropped the case 18 months ago,the bail charges are minor.
              The UN had already asked the UK to let him go freely,

              https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24042&LangID=E

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 1:00 am

                Chicken and egg – Sweden had dropped the case because it could progress no further with him in the embassy.

                He is now out of the embassy. Sweden might re-evaluate the case in that light.

                • mauī …
                  12 April 2019 at 9:42 am

                  You usually make a reasonable argument McF, but this time I just can’t see it…

                • mpledger …
                  12 April 2019 at 10:15 am

                  They Swedes were able to interview him in the Ecuador embassy if they so wished but they chose not to.

                  • McFlock …
                    13 April 2019 at 3:50 pm

                    Given that before he left Sweden his lawyer was informed that the second interview would likely be followed by an arrest, an interview without the possibility of arrest would be pointless.

            • maggieinnz 8.2.1.1.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 9:55 am

              This, what’s happening to him now, has nothing to do with the Swedish charges. They were merely the wedge that pried open the door. They had nothing else.

              Name one country that has gone to such lengths to pursue justice for a woman’s right to informed consent? The charges aren’t for sexual assault but sexual surprise and whilst I fully think he needs to be held to account for that our society really doesn’t care all that much about it. It was the US who set this all up and they most certainly don’t care; they’re currently looking at whether they should give the death penalty for women who have abortions even if she gets pregnant through sex trafficking, incest or rape. About seven states so far have brought in laws that give rapists parental rights. Do you really think they’d care if some nob didn’t ask if it was ok to not use a condom?

              This whole thing is about the US and their ego, not about justice, not about a failure to gain some woman’s consent. I don’t care for the guy at all but I don’t believe he’ll get a fair hearing and even if he does I’d hate to think what they’ve got in store for him.

            • Rangimare 8.2.1.1.1.3
              12 April 2019 at 10:57 am

              That’s not why he was in the embassy. If Assange had been allowed a fair hearing he would have gone to court. He was willing to be interviewed. The reason he was in the embassy was because of his publication of the atrocities of the US military amongst other things. And the US arre out to get him. The sexual stuff was a ploy to get to him. This isn’t only about sex. Get your mind out of the gutter.

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 1:00 pm

                He was not willing to be arrested for sexual assault, that is why he was there.

                • francesca …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:19 pm

                  He was not willing to be extradited to the US. He was more than willing to be interrogated at the Embassy by Swedish prosecutors.
                  No charges were or have been laid.

                  • McFlock …
                    12 April 2019 at 1:37 pm

                    Extradition to the US wasn’t on the table at that time, except in the minds of folks who wanted to justify him not facing rape accusations.

                    And the “no charges have been laid” misdirection was tried by his lawyers and failed dismally. It relies on the fact that the swedes investigate, investigate again (the second interview), arrest, charge, and go straight to trial, where UK style law lightly investigates, arrests, charges, investigates some more (the second interview), then goes to trial.

                    • francesca …
                      12 April 2019 at 1:47 pm

                      They had their second interview, with a new prosecutor
                      Still no arrest

                    • McFlock …
                      12 April 2019 at 1:48 pm

                      because no way to bring him to trial.
                      And no jurisdiction. Embassy, remember?

                    • Siobhan …
                      12 April 2019 at 3:11 pm

                      Extradition to the US wasn’t on the table at that time, except in the minds of folks who wanted to justify him not facing rape accusations

                      …given subsequent events it looks like those folks were brilliantly and unexpectedly insightful then….

                      or not…

                      “Following the 2010 leaks, the federal government of the United States launched a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks and asked allied nations for assistance.[5]”

                      “After WikiLeaks released the Manning material, United States authorities began investigating WikiLeaks and Assange personally with a view to prosecuting them under the Espionage Act of 1917.[134] In November 2010 US Attorney-General Eric Holder said there was “an active, ongoing criminal investigation” into WikiLeaks.[5] It emerged from legal documents leaked over the ensuing months that Assange and others were being investigated by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia.[135][136] An email from an employee of intelligence consultancy Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (Stratfor) leaked in 2012 said, “We have a sealed indictment on Assange.”[137] The US government denies the existence of such an indictment.[138][139]” From wikipedia..for simplicity’s sake.

                      remember Assange didn’t enter the Embassy till 2012, well into these events.

                      I do realise that many of you are under the impression that the US Attorney-General was just investigating Assange and wikileaks and putting together a Grand Jury for something to do…but, again, anyone with half a brain realised that extradition was inevitable.

                    • McFlock …
                      12 April 2019 at 3:15 pm

                      So Assange fled sweden into the arms of USA’s closest ally.

                      #DoesNotCompute.

      • Stuart Munro. 8.2.2
        12 April 2019 at 12:44 am

        Yes, a good example. I found the elements of the rape cases less than persuasive myself, though I’m aware of other interpretations. I stopped following WikiLeaks a long time ago, though it is at least potentially a valuable institution. So much goes to personality; Assange may not have been the best figurehead for it, though of course the likes of Rupert Murdoch would have made it an unequivocal force for evil.

  9. francesca 9
    12 April 2019 at 1:00 am

    I’m pretty sure the US would have moved heaven and earth to have Assange arrested on any trumped up charge they could, and what the US wants, the US gets. All other nations apart from a “rogue” few, will aid and abet and oblige.
    No one wants their economy screaming ,or “intelligence”of an impending terrorist attack withheld.
    I do not find the whole Swedish rape case convincing.
    So no, I don’t think Assange’s penis is the problem .Allegations of what his penis might have done is merely the pretext for arrest and then extradition.
    Or maybe you know something the UN and I don’t

    • McFlock 9.1
      12 April 2019 at 1:06 am

      The thing I never got about the “pretext” argument was that if he was going to flee Sweden to avoid extradition to the US, why go to the UK? Literally anywhere in Europe would have been a less-close ally to the US than the UK. Do a Snowden and catch a flight to Moscow.

      But if you’re just running interference on a sexual assault case, then going to the UK is a decent gambit. And if you run wikileaks but you think it’s just about sexual assault, it looks like you know you did something dodgy and I don’t mean from a geopolitical perspective.

      • francesca 9.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 1:22 am

        He believed in the British justice system and after surrendering to the UK authorities challenged the extradition through the courts.He won the right to challenge but not the actual case. Thats when he skipped bail and was granted asylum.
        And Snowden didn’t intend to wind up in Russia, he was heading to South America.(remember when the US forced down Morale’s private plane because they thought
        Snowden was on board)
        They revoked Snowden’s passport while he was still in the air approaching Moscow as a stop off.Putin said he was the Christmas present no one wanted, but nevertheless granted him temporary asylum
        I think Assange was well aware that the name of the game was to spirit him off to the US and disappear him in some dungeon.
        After all Clinton in 2010 had said “Can’t we just drone this guy?”
        But then she had a weird sense of humour, laughing like a hyena when she was told of Ghadaffi’s death

        • Psycho Milt 9.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 6:18 am

          He believed in the British justice system…

          Are you aware of the contents of his mind due to him telling it to you personally, or through a heretofore-unknown telepathic connection?

          • francesca 9.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 6:54 am

            Fair enough Psycho
            In fact, Assange was not on the run when he first arrived in the UK. The Swedish prosecutor had said there was no case to answer and he was free to leave Sweden.
            He didn’t believe he had anything to fear from the UK authorities.

            http://johnpilger.com/articles/getting-julian-assange-the-untold-story

            And who knows ?

            The UK denied the US the right to extradite Lauris Love a hacker/activist who broke in to the FBI and several other US institutions

            https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-usa-hacker/autistic-uk-man-accused-of-hacking-fbi-wins-appeal-against-extradition-to-us-idUSKBN1FP1IA

            Instead he’ll be tried in a British court

            • cleangreen 9.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 7:12 am

              Yes Francesca;

              This too;

              Apparently a ‘Spanish connection’ was involved in spying on Assange closely to gather evidence to construct a trumpet up charge to evict him while he was inside the embassy.

              If it is true then they need to look at who in Spain was response for illegally spying ad breaking anyone’s individuals rights under human right to privacy.

              Apparently George Soros a billionaire and activist has been engaged in overturning the Trump election and runs the biggest company in Spain as a global polling company, so they need to investigate Soros’s activities.

              • Sacha …
                12 April 2019 at 8:35 am

                you can’t beat a trumpet. 🙂

              • lprent …
                12 April 2019 at 8:47 am

                Jez. Nothing like a good completely unconnected conspiracy theory.

                You sound about as unhinged as Orban without the useful political (and racist) motives.

                • WILD KATIPO …
                  12 April 2019 at 10:06 am

                  Um… I don’t think its really that unhinged at all . I notice after the Mueller findings that all the paparazzi over what Trump has for breakfast or what tie he wears has died down. And even you , … can admit all that coverage was completely over the top.

                  So who was generating that?

                  We all know Soros massive media reach and that Soros hates Trump.

                  It didn’t just ‘drop out of the sky’ one day did it.

                  It may be a ‘conspiracy’ ,… then again , that’s what investigative journalism is all about. Leaving no stone unturned. If we conveniently write off everything that is merely ‘complicated’ as a ‘conspiracy’ , then we play right into the hands of totalitarianism.

                  Kristallnacht – Wikipedia
                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht

                  • Tuppence Shrewsbury …
                    12 April 2019 at 10:41 am

                    Of course you don’t think it’s unhinged.

                    But the sane and rational people look at a racially charged accusation “Spanish” connection spying in an foreign countries embassy and conclude wikileaks and its fans have gone off the deep end into flat earth territory

                    • cleangreen …
                      12 April 2019 at 11:45 am

                      Tuppence Shrewsbury – you are plod aren’t you.

                      https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/10/julian-assange-wikileaks-says-spies-at-work-in-ecuadorean-embassy

                      So what is so odd and “off the end” about the evidence spoken in a media discussion on ‘a Spanish connection to spying on Assange at the Embassy’?

                    • Tuppence Shrewsbury …
                      12 April 2019 at 11:53 am

                      Being called a clod by a hillbilly stings, so I’ll answer.

                      Assange is making claims. Is there any evidence to back his claims up? Or did he just bite the hand that fed and sheltered him for seven years like a good little rapist?

                    • WILD KATIPO …
                      12 April 2019 at 2:11 pm

                      You care to dissemble that rant Shrewberry?

                      Would be helpful , – and I notice your grasping at hyper racial aversion thus nationality to validate your views are disjointed to say the very least.

                      Perhaps CleanGreen should have said … ”the ancient Celtic race intermixed with Moorish conquerors in the land that was once governed by the Franks then passed on into successive hands after that particular governance dissipated and was replaced by the Carolingan Empire which has since then become the modern nation state of Spain”…

                      Perhaps that would have been more suitable.

                      Or maybe he could of just said Spain.

                      And if you think that its a conspiracy theory , – conversely , – much of what passes here could equally be deemed ”conspiracy theory”.

                      Such as the frenetic and totally unbalanced diatribes against Donald Trumps collusion with Russia, or… Trump will lead us to world war 3, or, the global economy will collapse because of Trump.

                      So NOW , just like a mathematical equation , – the conspiracy is redirected and extrapolated against Julian Assange because the poor sod called out a very evil practice whereby the Clinton Foundation was caught red handed providing arms to ISIS.

                      Y’now the one?

                      Where Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain funneled cash through the Clinton Foundation to purchase arms for redistribution to ISIS?

                      You’d rather have tens of thousands of civilian deaths ongoing than have Julian Assange go free of trumped up rape charges that have now been disproven.

                      OK then.

                  • lprent …
                    12 April 2019 at 12:06 pm

                    Yeah right.

                    There clearly wasn’t an veracious appetite for gossip about the orange ego? No-one goes off and looks at all available gossip about any president? There isn’t a briefing room at the White House? We don’t see stories about their kids in all of the gooey detail?

                    Nope – that stuff, all the way back to at least Lincoln was done by George Soros.

                    Keep pulling – a conspiracy theory will fall out eventually and smell of dead fish…

                    • WILD KATIPO …
                      12 April 2019 at 2:23 pm

                      Lincoln? John Wilkes Booth?

                      Lone operator?

                      There were about 5 other people involved, and that by definition is a conspiracy. Reaching further back and it goes a lot further into those who fomented the American Civil War.

                      Obv Soros wasn’t even born then. Does that make him clean from being a conspirator? But he DOES have anti Trump sentiments and he DOES have mass media ability.

                      Maybe that’s where all the ”Russian collusion ” story’s originated… or could it be… Americas deep state … oh… thats too complicated thus conspiracy theory territory.

                      And Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone operator too, …despite most Americans disbelieving the Warren Report was a whitewash… and the CIA’s and Oil Barons hatred of JFK. the Bay of Pigs , the arms sales to supply the Vietnam war , LBJ’s aspirations to the Presidency , and JFK threatening to ”smash the CIA into a thousand pieces”…

                      Yep,… Lee Harvey Osborne acted alone and all the rest is a conspiracy theory.

                      Just like Jack Ruby.

      • francesca 9.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 7:56 am

        McFlock
        Why not run to South America or Russia?
        He wasn’t on the run . The Swedish prosecutor had closed the case and said he was free to leave Sweden
        Assange probably thought it was all over

        • McFlock 9.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 1:08 pm

          Except his lawyer had been informed that the Swedes wanted a second interview and that after the interview an arrest would be likely.

          • francesca 9.1.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 1:23 pm

            That was when he was already in the UK
            And yet he was perfectly willing to answer to the Swedish prosecutors at the Embassy.
            And after a lot of dilatory action, they finally did question him, but failed to press charges then abandoned the case.

            • McFlock 9.1.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 1:29 pm

              lol that’s one interpretation.

              Another is that there was no point pursuing the case on the charges that had not exceeded their statute of limitations, because the swedes go from arrest straight to trial.

    • maggieinnz 9.2
      12 April 2019 at 9:57 am

      “I’m pretty sure the US would have moved heaven and earth to have Assange arrested on any trumped up charge they could, and what the US wants, the US gets.”

      +1000

      Totally agree.

  10. WeTheBleeple 10
    12 April 2019 at 6:43 am

    Relax

    It’s just a little pinprick

    There’ll be no more AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHHH!

    But you may feel a little sick.

    – Roger Waters.

  11. cleangreen 11
    12 April 2019 at 6:47 am

    “The 5 yrs +Statute of limitations plays big here so Assange can win a case based on the charges are from 2010 or nine years ago, so don’t bank on him being sent on a trumped up charge nine years old sending him for rough justice in the USA.

    • maggieinnz 11.1
      12 April 2019 at 10:01 am

      Statutes of limitations are set by each country and not enforceable in others. The charges were brought against him by Sweden and their statute of limitations for sex crimes is 10 years. The Swedish charges were only used to get him arrested so he wouldn’t flee. The US have different charges to use against him.

  12. Bazza64 12
    12 April 2019 at 7:33 am

    But where is sleigh and the reindeer?

  14. Andre 14
    12 April 2019 at 7:52 am

    In a story full of ironies, Assange probably would have been much better off with Hillary in the Oval Office instead of the turd tornado he worked so hard to help put there.

    … If he’d stayed out of the 2016 election entirely, he would have had little to fear from a President Hillary Clinton. It’s not likely that any attorney general she might have appointed would have bothered to go after Assange in the first place.

    That conclusion may surprise some people. Assange has long stoked the idea that he was in serious danger of extradition by a Democratic administration for his role in the Manning leaks, which is exactly what the Trump administration hopes to prosecute him for. But Obama and then-Attorney General Eric Holder — while definitely not happy about the leaks of classified information — also decided against pursuing a case against Assange in 2013, out of fears that it would set a precedent that would be used against more legitimate journalists. In all probability, a Clinton administration would have respected that conclusion.

    But Donald Trump, whom Assange worked so hard to elect, has no such concerns about a free press. On the contrary, Trump has spent years railing against the press and hinting that he believes he should be able to leverage government power to censor or punish media outlets for unfavorable coverage. In fact, the very thing that held Obama and Holder back — fear of setting a dangerous precedent that could chill press freedom — is very likely exactly what is compelling the Trump administration to go after Assange in 2019.

    https://www.salon.com/2019/04/11/oh-the-irony-julian-assanges-support-for-donald-trump-comes-back-to-haunt-him/

    • Sabine 14.1
      12 April 2019 at 8:06 am

      assume that he really did help the orange despot, it would make perfect sense for the orange one to get rid of him.

      no matter what, at the moment he is not in a good place and one can only hope he has some decent lawyers to get some resemblance of justice. Cause the Lady Justice in the US has closed has door for a long time to come – she is seeking asylum herself.

    • te reo putake 14.2
      12 April 2019 at 8:11 am

      Good point, Andre. There is an interesting parallel in what might happen to Assange in the next couple of years. In the UK, the Secretary of State makes the final decision on each extradition. If there is a change of Government while Assange is battling the extradition request, it’s likely to be Labour’s Emily Thornberry who has the final call. I don’t know how she leans on Assange, but I would have thought a Corbyn led Government would be more inclined to mercy.

      • Andre 14.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 8:16 am

        Oh shit, that would be irony piled on irony, what with Assange palling around with Farage suggesting he’s a Brexit supporter.

        I mean jeez, if Brexit turns out to be the nail in the coffin of the current Tory government leading to the election of a Labour government that’s less inclined to hand him over …

        • WILD KATIPO 14.2.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 10:17 am

          In that case it would be justice seen to be the winner.

          Lets hope for a Labour victory then.

          That also shows the Labour party have nothing to hide as well as vindicating an innocent man. Go the Labour party !

      • francesca 14.2.2
        12 April 2019 at 9:16 am

        So far the UK govt hasn’t been totally replaced by the US govt.
        Secretary of State?
        I’m guessing you mean Home Secretary?

        • te reo putake 14.2.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 9:56 am

          There’s more than one Secretary of State, Fransesca. Thornberry is shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The Government post is currently held by Jeremy Hunt, and the holder is usually referred to as the Foreign Secretary, which is the term I should have used for clarity’s sake.

    • xanthe 14.3
      12 April 2019 at 9:09 am

      Oh come on andre that story was complete crap

      • Andre 14.3.1
        12 April 2019 at 11:11 am

        Oh silly me. You’re right, that article wasn’t non-stop fawning adoration of Saint Julian of the Assflange, so of course it’s crap. I should have known.

        Doesn’t mean it’s wrong, tho.

    • Gabby 14.4
      12 April 2019 at 9:28 am

      Chumps handlers may be looking for a way to bust up the sacrosanct source thing. No more anonymous sources except when it suits them.

  15. cleangreen 15
    12 April 2019 at 8:02 am

    Andre Good points there.

    My fear is Mike Pompao is a hawk and would lock Assange up for life in n a “high security facility for life= it is like living in torture.

    Julian Assange needs all human rights protection as he exposed the horrific use of Government drones to kill randomly.

    • francesca 15.1
      12 April 2019 at 8:11 am

      Indeed Cleangreen
      There were several UN human rights rapporteurs concerned at Assange’s plight and about to visit .There’ll be a close eye kept on all this. Even the turncoat Guardian has changed its tune somewhat, after years of smearing Assange

      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/11/the-guardian-view-on-assange-and-extradition-say-no-to-the-us

      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/11/julian-assange-cyber-sins-big-tech-wikileaks

    • Stuart Munro. 15.2
      12 April 2019 at 9:56 am

      I’m more concerned he’ll be renditioned to some ‘shithole country’ and worked over with all the dirty tricks in the box. He ought to able to expect a degree of support from Oz, but I’m sure the current govt. will be missing in action.

      • WILD KATIPO 15.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:27 am

        Indeed, when one challenges the machine , exposes them and speaks truth to power – , this is the sort of shabby treatment one can expect.

      • francesca 15.2.2
        12 April 2019 at 10:36 am

        Stuart
        The “shit-hole country”
        A real possibility.
        Forget all the tedious process of law etc, just grab him and disappear him.
        It’d be right in line with the Trumpian/Bolt- on way.
        (Recognising the Golan Heights as Israel, trying to depose the Venezuelan rep at the UN in favour of Guaido’s man), who cares about international law?
        Hell, why not drone the man?

      • McFlock 15.2.3
        12 April 2019 at 1:18 pm

        Not while he’s in custody. There’s a custody paper trail. When prisoners just “disappear”, there’s a problem for the authorities.

        The extradition request will send him to continental USA.

        Which means he’ll get to argue “free press” if he gets extradited.

    • maggieinnz 15.3
      12 April 2019 at 10:07 am

      Agreed. The US can potentially hold him as a threat to national security. I’m not sure if they can still hold them indefinitely and without charge like they used to but I don’t trust them to be transparent and fair one little bit.

      • francesca 15.3.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:26 am

        They’ve charged him, not with espionage , but with conspiracy to hack a govt computer.
        They’re steering clear of anything that smacks of political grievance(bit of a sticky wicket in extradition cases)
        But I think this is pretty weak and hinges on txt exchanges with Chelsea Manning. Thats why she was arrested and put in solitary, to break her down and falsely admit to a conspiracy between her and Assange
        A lesser charge that doesn’t involve the death penalty might be looked at more favourably by the UK courts as far as extradition goes.
        But having got Assange in to their vengeful murderous grasp,in some US dungeon, more charges could emerge

        • maggieinnz 15.3.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 10:37 am

          I think the only reason they haven’t brought stiffer charges against him is because they don’t have him in US custody yet. If they bring espionage charges against him then the UK would have grounds to deny extradition. He can be extradited on the current charge as it holds no death penalty but once they have him in custody they aren’t breaching the terms of extradition if he faces the death penalty for other charges. That guy they arrested for sex charges in the US may turn states evidence or be coerced into saying Assange shared info that threatened national security. It doesn’t take much to sink someone when they’re motivated to do so.

          “Capital punishment is a legal penalty under the United States federal government criminal justice system. It can be handed down for treason, espionage…”
          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_by_the_United_States_federal_government

          • Andre 15.3.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 1:27 pm

            Apparently it’s not that easy to slap him with extra charges after they get their hands on him.

            If there’s a downside to contesting the extradition, it’s that the U.S. is free to revise or extend the charges right up to the point Assange is shipped out. After that, the charges are carved in stone under a principal called “specialty protection.”

            “Once he is extradited on specific charges, they are stuck with those,” former Justice Department prosecutor Christopher Ott told the Daily Beast. “There is a whole art to that process best typified by the multi-year effort to extradite El Chapo.”

            That means that the U.S. can’t grab Assange on a hacking charge and then slam him with an espionage indictment when he lands in the states–any new charges would require the U.S. go through the UK courts all over again, even if he’s already in a U.S. jail.

            https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-wikileaks-assange-could-beat-the-us-and-stay-out-of-jail?ref=home

            • maggieinnz 15.3.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 3:32 pm

              I’m not sure it does mean that. I think what they’re saying is that they can’t amend or add to those specific charges. For example, if I was being charged with breaking and entering and extradited over those charges they can’t turn them into something else or add on, say, causing injury in the commission of a crime (if injury was caused when I did the B&E). BUT, what if, whilst in their custody, evidence came to light that I’d murdered someone in their country as a separate event? Do you think that they wouldn’t charge me because of “special protection”?

              See, I know it sounds very tinfoil hat and all but it just seems like they’ve gone way way out of their way to get him and for what? A few years inside? Maybe they’ll wait until he’s done his time and then pin something else on him. It would buy them plenty of time to really dig around for stuff to charge him with.

              I could be completely wrong of course. I don’t know the US law very well but I also don’t trust them one little bit. I guess we’ll find out in due course.

              • Andre …
                12 April 2019 at 3:52 pm

                It appears it’s not really US law that governs, it’s a combo of international law and UK law.

                It looks like the specialty protection means that if the US wants to add further charges, those extra charges would have to be agreed to by a similar level UK court that agreed to the original extradition. That’s a lot of extra faffing around, but maybe they’d think it’s easier to get it through once they have possession. On that other hand, it risks blowback on the grounds of “ya shoulda put this in the original extradition proceeding”.

                Or the US could just blow off their legal obligation and do what they want anyway and say to the UK “whaddaya gonna do abouddit?”. There’s that irony again that the terracotta turdface is much more likely to do that than Hillary would have been. Also the irony that the US might be less concerned about pissing off an isolated post-Brexit UK than potentially pissing off the whole EU.

                • maggieinnz …
                  12 April 2019 at 4:18 pm

                  “terracotta turdface” – haha perfect!

                  I didn’t know that about the legal combo thing and yeah, that arrogant oompa loompa would absolutely do that regardless of consequences.

      • cleangreen 15.3.2
        12 April 2019 at 9:26 pm

        15.3 maggieinnz

        Oh yes the US will hold him as a threat to national security for sure.

        More the reason to not allow his extradition.

    • WILD KATIPO 15.4
      12 April 2019 at 10:21 am

      Yes , CleanGreen ,… wasn’t it Barrack OBomBa that signed off every Tuesday for five years on drone strikes that killed thousand’s of civilians ???

      But we never hear a peep out of the ‘caring’ Woke Left’ about any of that , do we now…

      • cleangreen 15.4.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:32 pm

        Yes Wild Katipo,

        Barrack Obomba did use the Germans guiding system to locate and destroy any personnel they chose to kill by use of drones.

        The German intelligence unit is in southern Germany.

    • WILD KATIPO 15.5
      12 April 2019 at 10:24 am

      That is , of course , until John Pilger interviewed Julian Assange and we all learnt the Clinton foundation was taking moneys from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain to purchase American made arms and redistribute them to ISIS…

      No wonder the USA under OBomBa was criticised for doing virtually nothing against ISIS, – the Russians were putting them to shame…meanwhile the ‘Woke Lefts’ man , OBomBa was keeping on keeping on bombing civilians…

      • cleangreen 15.5.1
        12 April 2019 at 11:53 am

        Wild Katipo 100%
        “until John Pilger interviewed Julian Assange and we all learnt the Clinton foundation was taking moneys from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain to purchase American made arms and redistribute them to ISIS”

        Yes it was revealing that Assange exposed ‘Crooked Hillary’s’ activities eh?

        Maybe that’s why trump wants him in his office to get the real story on her activities.

        Assange does have some value to keep him free to expose all these crooked politicians now eh?

  16. JP 16
    12 April 2019 at 8:07 am

    The irony here is that, due to the seriously disproportionate sentencing to crime regarding sexual assault prevalent in many judicial systems, Assange probably spent more time in the embassy than he would have in a Swedish prison – if he’d even been given a custodial sentence.

    His demands that Sweden guarantee he would NEVER be extradited to the U.S were a special kind of narcissistic exceptionalism – full immunity forever would have required Sweden to revisit and renegotiate its extradition laws entirely.

    Then legging it into the embassy when his repeated attempts to delay returning to Sweden and THEN claiming he was being imprisoned – I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ecuadorian cost of keeping him there wasn’t 99% brass polish for his neck.

    He’ll likely get some time in the UK for skipping bail, which is fair enough. Then he may get extradited to the United States, who’ve had a solid seven years to carefully collect all the facts and information they need to lay charges against him. I’m sure the U.S Govt are grateful for the time Assange gave them to establish the case.

    There’s also Sweden, which could also call dibs on him first.

    The absolute comic finisher here would be Assange doing a year in UK jail, then being extradited to Sweden to stand trial, getting done for it there and doing another little bit of time inside – being released and THEN Sweden refuse to extradite him to the U.S – which would render every single thing he’s done in the last seven years completely paranoid, egotistical and utterly pointless.

  17. Sabine 17
    12 April 2019 at 8:17 am

    He did no such thing,

    whistleblowers did. And she went to prison for what shedid. Chelsea Manning has more courage in her small finger then J.A has in his whole body.

    but would you like to comment on his doxxing the private sensitive details of millions of Turkish women or does that fall under ‘breaking eggs for omelettes’?

    as for Mike Pompeo, or D. Trump or any in this current mal – administration the old adage comes to mind : Lie with dogs, wake up with fleas.

  18. reason 18
    12 April 2019 at 8:24 am

    [Democracy Now on the Assange arrest. 30 mins. Reason, can you please put a content description when you post videos so readers can make the choice whether to click or not. Cheers, TRP]

    • JP 18.1
      12 April 2019 at 8:25 am

      The new remake of Miracle on 34th Street is rubbish.

    • reason 18.2
      12 April 2019 at 8:44 am

      Sorry …. I would have posted none of the women reporters or Lawyers mention Assanges dick …. unlike a lot of posters in this thread.

      A lot of relevant information from honest reporters in the Democracy now report

  19. cleangreen 19
    12 April 2019 at 8:35 am

    JP has a hard right wing element in his response there.

    Julian Assange is not my intent here, it is upholding freedom of speech and un- covering war crimes, and least preserving human rights.

    Does JP expect that will happen here?

    I don’t think so at all.

    The powers that be want to make examples of these high profile whistle blowers to stop anyone else doing it, – so the powers that crumple on our Human rights want to stop us from changing them they need to rid opposition like Assange and others.

    • JP 19.1
      12 April 2019 at 8:42 am

      I separate out Assange the man, and the operations of Wikileaks, to be honest.

      And more frivolously, this whole thing has a feeling of Lucy definitely promising Charlie Brown she won’t pull the football away this time – except Assange is Lucy and Charlie Brown.

  20. James 20
    12 April 2019 at 8:39 am

    https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6911449/amp/Lawyer-Assanges-alleged-rape-victim-says-reopen-investigation.html

    Looks like they are going to reopen the rape charges (if you can believe the dailymail).

    So who on here believe he shouldn’t stand trial for rape if they reopen?

    And now published on nytimes:

    ““We are going to do everything we possibly can to get the Swedish police investigation reopened so that Assange can be extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape. No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served. ”

    https://nypost.com/2019/04/11/julian-assange-rape-accuser-wants-case-reopened/

    Let’s see all the rape apologist argue this.

    • reason 20.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:02 am

      Well we are certainly seeing how the one eyed, inconsistent and opportunistic rape apologists are playing this ….. James

      https://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/

      ” We’ve seen it in the company’s PR team discrediting female passengers who accuse drivers of attacking them by whispering that they were “drunk” or “dressed provocatively.”

      uber https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/exm7za/all-the-reasons-why-uber-is-the-worst-1118

      I wonder what wikileaks has on uber ??

      • James 20.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:30 am

        So your defence of supporting someone charged with rape who ran away and hides is but Uber!

        It’s people like you that enable a rape culture.

        • WILD KATIPO 20.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 9:38 am

          The charges against Assange regarding rape have been dropped.

          You’re accusations are groundless.

        • KJT 20.1.1.2
          12 April 2019 at 10:35 am

          Bs. James.
          You don’t give a flying fuck, to use an appropriate term, about rape victims.
          Like TRP, cheering because an example can now be made of a whistleblower. And your favourite State can continue with State sanctioned murder and incidentally, rape, of civilians, without exposure, by whistleblowers like Assuange and Manning. But “they are only brown people so it doesn’t matter”.

          • te reo putake 20.1.1.2.1
            12 April 2019 at 10:41 am

            Oi, watch it. I don’t like Assange because he’s a self obsessed right winger whose organisation is proudly aimed at undermining democratic institutions. If he was any kind of hero, Wikileaks would be targeting capitalism. But there’s no money in that.

            And without money, his jetsetting, ego based, fuck anything that moves lifestyle couldn’t have been sustained.

            Karma has finally caught up with him and I’m fine with that.

            • KJT 20.1.1.2.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 10:50 am

              You think it is good that an over zealous example is made of a whistleblower, to deter others?

              Sometime I wonder about you.

              At least we have a breath of sense from Francesca.

            • Adrian Thornton 20.1.1.2.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 11:16 am

              Wow TRP thta was one pretty crazy vitriolic rave…nice.

              But lets stay with facts shall we.
              Wikileaks have done more to damage liberal capitalism since 2008 than every other news organizations combined, so I have no idea what you are talking about there, and exactly what democratic institutions have wiki undermined?

              He sleeps with a few different of woman….so fucking what, so do most guys…and then to top it all off, you finish with the karma card…of course.

              It would all quite be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

              • te reo putake …
                12 April 2019 at 11:44 am

                Sweet. Give me examples of where Wikileaks campaigned against capitalism. Go on, show me where they leaked oil company emails or the databases of weapons peddlers. Link to where they exposed the influence of the Russian mafiosi in the European energy sector or the dominance of Monsanto in the food industry. What was their contribution to the Panama papers? Hint: Sweet FA.

                Wikileaks is a libertarian organisation dedicated to exposing governments. It’s proudly on the front page of their website. Now, it’s true governments do bad things, but they are insignificant compared to the power of international capital. And the entities of the state are pretty much the only protection we have against late stage capitalism. Working exclusively to undermine confidence in democratic institutions is harmful to working people. If wikileaks was on our side, they’d target capital. But they don’t. Instead, they obediently do capital’s bidding for monetary reward.

                Wikipedia literally worked to get Trump elected. They’ve contributed to the undermining of faith in democracy that led to the rise of the alt-right and I’m sure you can join the dots as to where that has lead.

                I’ve been consistent in my opinion here at TS. Wikileaks are not on our side. It’s scary how little political understanding there is in the modern world and I know that most people who comment here at TS are genuinely trying to navigate their way through the maze. Here’s a helpful hint: anyone who says they are beyond left and right is a right winger. Start there and work your way back.

                Read some Marx, read some Dimitrov.

                Ask yourself ‘who benefits?’

                • Tuppence Shrewsbury …
                  12 April 2019 at 12:08 pm

                  THANK YOU!!!

                  I don’t like Hillary Clinton, but the strange support of left wingers for Wikileaks always had me bemused as it seemed so contradictory. I don’t think Assange cared about being a virtuous whistleblower, he was an anti American Democrat foreigner openly meddling in the American democratic process.

                  A proto Russian fb bot

                • KJT …
                  12 April 2019 at 12:56 pm

                  Doesn’t the fact that you have Two cents agreeing with you, tell you something. TRP.

                • francesca …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:06 pm

                  Be my guest TRP

                  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-gmo-report-idUSBRE94D0IL20130514

                  https://theconversation.com/julian-assange-on-google-surveillance-and-predatory-capitalism-43176

                  There’s about a cigarette paper between the US and its corporations

                  And Assange doesn’t hack, himself, he relies on leaks, he works with what he receives.

                • Ad …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:08 pm

                  Testify, brother.

                  Any time they could have lifted a finger to help us.

                • Adrian Thornton …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:09 pm

                  Wikileaks can only disclose what it is given as leaks, that is the first fact to take into account, so you asking me show you leaks that don’t exist that wikileaks have not released to undermine capitalism is nonsensical in the extreme.

                  Wiki released the BNP membership list, which would be strange thing to do for a friend of the alt right..well according to you anyway.

                  i am not going to run through all the banks, oil company, various government spying programmes and military leaks etc so on and so forth that wilkileaks have disclosed that have in rightly undermined citizens faith their leadership world wide, because these facts are self evident.
                  That you cannot connect the dots that this has directly helped under mine liberalism world wide does seem strange to me, but not that unsurprising.

                  Obama and Clinton and MSM helped Trump into power far more than Wilkileaks, whom only released undisputed facts around the corruption within DNC.

                  BTW, I don’t need you of all people giving me reading suggestions thank you vert much.

                  Who benefits from openly attacking and victimizing whistle blowers and journalists is a question I strongly suggest you meditate on yourself.

    • reason 20.2
      12 April 2019 at 9:08 am

      James ,,,,Is Amy Goodman …. and the other women on ‘democracy now’ …. are they rape apologists too …

      you sick troll

      • James 20.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:31 am

        That’s a great pic of the alledged rapist there.

        • WILD KATIPO 20.2.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 9:37 am

          The charges have been dropped. He is not guilty of those charges only in you’re (very hopeful ) mind.

          You say you like justice.

          I say you only like what has the appearance of ‘selective justice’.

          From the days of Arthur Allan Thomas to Jesus Christ himself there have always been the false accusers.

          • cleangreen 20.2.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 12:00 pm

            Wild Katipo.

            James is a ‘brain washing specialist’; he/she uses the art of excessive repetition of words to make a point so many times until it becomes burned into our brains as factual evidence.

        • Gabby 20.2.1.2
          12 April 2019 at 9:57 am

          Which one jimbo? I see no ledge.

        • reason 20.2.1.3
          12 April 2019 at 10:12 am

          James …… ” ,Is Amy Goodman …. and the other women on ‘democracy now’ …. are they rape apologists too …” ??

          Would you say ” That’s a great pic of the alledged rapist there.” to Democracy now if you were interviewed??.

          Would you uber boy ?

        • Tuppence Shrewsbury 20.2.1.4
          12 April 2019 at 12:09 pm

          He looks so creepy

    • Blazer 20.3
      12 April 2019 at 9:13 am

      I recall the swedish prosecutor saying one of the woman would not know whether she had been raped,because she was not a ..lawyer.

      https://noplaceforsheep.com/tag/marianne-ny/

    • WILD KATIPO 20.4
      12 April 2019 at 9:41 am

      Those charges have been dropped.

      Has anyone checked to see if the person in question has been approached? Has an amount of cash been disclosed?

      There’s always two sides to every story.

      Have YOU back checked, James?

      No. Of course not.

    • James 21.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:32 am

      For that kind of money you would have wanted someone who didn’t smear the walls with shit.

      • WILD KATIPO 21.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:43 am

        What colour was that shit , James?

        Did you check?

        Or are you just going on hearsay because it helps you to demonize someone? And while we realize it is meant figuratively ,… have you indeed checked?

        • James 21.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 9:52 am

          Wild katipo – wildly uninformed as usual.

          “Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo said Assange’s mental and physical health worsened while he was holed up, and he began to act aggressively toward his hosts, including smearing feces on the walls of the embassy.”

          https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/wikileaks-assange-arrested-at-ecuador-embassy-in-london/2019/04/11/13c7fe36-5c3f-11e9-98d4-844088d135f2_story.html?utm_term=.b3fa0cd1f9bd

          • WILD KATIPO 21.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 10:31 am

            James- wildly selective and biased as usual.

            You might care to refer to comment 24 , you sycophantic moron.

            And yes, perhaps with the new Americas boy ‘Pres of Ecuador’ conditions became intolerable to Assange.

            But you in your vicious hungry wolf mentality couldn’t give a fuck about that , could you.

            No, you just want to see him rot and die early in a stinking USA prison on any trumped up bullshit charge you shitter.

            And that’s all that motivates you.

            All that ever has.

            Again – did you actually see the shit?

            Or this is this just more shit you make up by listening to material that backs up your narrative? Which is a pretty limp and vexatious argument to begin with .

            • reason 21.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 11:30 am

              Didn’t james say jeremy corbin …. did that shit in a synagogue or something

              some kind of anti Semite smear anyway 😉

              He should stick to toilet sex …. which he knows something about ….

              “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it ” … is james own posting … he was defending a rugby player of course

              I take it He likes the smell of shit … for those romantic times …. big spender that he is

  22. reason 22
    12 April 2019 at 9:16 am

    Wikileaks …. on uber

    ” Uber. The problem is the city’s outdated, anti-competitive taxi regulations. .” The Podesta emails

    “how-lyft-and-uber-are-ignoring-the-poor- … fighting for exemptions from the regulations that traditional cab companies … com/@pacificstand/how-lyft-and-uber-are-ignoring-the-poor- … ) By Daniel J. McGraw ”

    https://search.wikileaks.org/?q=uber+regulations+taxi

  23. Adrian Thornton 23
    12 April 2019 at 9:18 am

    Not unsurprisingly many ‘left leaning’ commentators on The Standard are of course yet again displaying their unquestioning alliance to the MSM liberal media narrative on Assange…ie gleefully negative….also unsurprisingly this is generally the same group of idiots who uncritically swallowed the Russiagate conspiracy hook..line…and sinker.
    How so many apparently intelligent critical thinking comrades turned out to be so fucking stupid and so so easily led will always remain a memory of great disappointment to me…all and all sad and depressing day to be on the Left today.

    • WILD KATIPO 23.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:28 am

      100% , – and very , very , very well said.

      So now it seems these ‘left leaning’ commentators on The Standard are actually closet Trump lovers !

      Oh the irony !!!

      Do we even give credence to anything they have to say hereafter?

      It will be difficult.

      Difficult indeed.

    • francesca 23.2
      12 April 2019 at 9:36 am

      Something very polarising about this site
      Not much level headed discussion and things escalate(or decline) rather quickly in to fairly vile insult.Accusations are flung willy nilly
      But I don’t really consider the Standard to be particularly strongly left, kind of centre left
      Apart from a few writers who no longer seem to post.
      Bradbury is more radical over at the Daily Blog, but interestingly, fewer people get banned, and flame wars rarely happen there.

      • te reo putake 23.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:01 am

        Comments at TDB are auto-moderated, so there is little need for banning. If Bomber doesn’t like your opinion, he simply disappears your comment. It’s the main reason the TDB comment section is so lifeless. TS takes a different approach, allowing a free flow of real time comments, which we moderate as needed.

        • WILD KATIPO 23.2.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 10:53 am

          That may be somewhat true, however much of what passes for ‘ Left’ on this site ,… is actually ‘Woke Left’. And that’s the ugly vibe people are picking up on constantly.

          Radical , identity politicking woke leftists, – WHO , more often than not are encouraged by many of the Mods and opinion writers. It sets the tone.

          Now its old news that ‘politically correct’ speech went under another name at the time of Joseph Stalin. It was a way to control people, inhibit free speech and a tool to be used in order to prosecute and imprison political rivals.

          политически корректный

          Neo liberalism employs a similar device. ‘Orthodoxy’ … based on its economic ideology.

          And here , on this site , because of Labour still endorsing neo liberalism it is difficult to disguise the fact that they are , in fact , adhering to a far right wing ideology. As a result of this – we see the same thing worldwide ie Tony Blair ‘ Blairite’ economics etc.

          And this where the ‘Woke Left’ are such useful tools of the far right.

          Because when they are really analysed , they are merely the compatible wings of the same bow, which when bent around so far join in the middle and become TOTALITARIANISM.

          The NZ Labour party and this site have moved FAR , FAR AWAY from the original reasons for the creation of the Labour party in 1916. It bears little resemblance to it at all , and if a Jeremy Corban was to rise to power in NZ he would be shot down forthwith by member’s of the neo liberal contingent in his own party.

          Such as David Cunliffe was.

          New Zealand Labour Party – Wikipedia
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Labour_Party

          • WeTheBleeple 23.2.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 11:44 am

            I can’t say I’m on this site to identify with 1916’s Labor Party.

            On PC speech: Cruelty is the humor of children and the ignorant. So under the guise of humor the cruel and ignorant operate. PC was trying to get a handle on this where, as we’ve recently seen, hate speech is embedded, or only a stones throw away.

            The ability to laugh at and poke fun at ourselves however, also seems to have come under fire. This effect will even out when we don’t give undue weight to extreme voices. It pays to have a sense of humor, take a look around! But cruelty is not necessary.

            On one hand PC has delivered a higher standard of comedy and respect for some minorities (in some circles); on the other it has the public tripping over itself trying not to seem offside with a myriad of angry voices looking to be outraged.

            It can be tiring for anyone who likes to throw a touch of irony or sarcasm into the mix the perpetual victims venting righteous anger at each perceived slight.

            Thing is, like many hard fought for rights (to not be denigrated), the pendulum often swings too far, but will correct in time.

            TS allows for correction. It’s more organic. It’s evolution rather than gene editing.

            • WILD KATIPO 23.2.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 12:33 pm

              I don’t think many would identify with 1916’s Labour party to day. Times change. Circumstances change. BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT that times changed under Roger Douglas and 1984 !!!!

              So as for all these snakes who embed themselves and lie low in the Labour party with their far right economic ideology ( neo liberalism ) and comment on this site, – being no different than the Far Right wingers they claim to oppose – is that part of Labours ‘Broad Church’ umbrella as well?

              Screwing down workers for 35 years???

              Really ???

              And as an extension of that thinking, – all these so called ‘Leftists’ baying for Julian Assange’s blood? – to be locked away for 200 years in a shithole American prison while they pontificate like urbane wanks about freedoms, democracy and freedom of speech???

              Really ???

              Che Guevara called such ‘useful tools’ regarding the urban communists but he also called them completely useless as well. Those who make all the noise but do nothing through cowardice towards freedom.

              Inversely , – this is what we have here- all these who hate on Assange then bemoan the fact that the state is oppressive and wonder where all the whistleblowers are?

              HYPOCRITES!!!

              YOU AIDED AND ABETTED THEIR ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT !!!

          • cleangreen 23.2.1.1.2
            12 April 2019 at 12:05 pm

            Yes Wild Katipo,

            There are far more right wingers on ‘the Standard’ than over on TDB for sure.

            • WeTheBleeple 23.2.1.1.2.1
              12 April 2019 at 1:23 pm

              Thing is, I can disagree with the right wingers, and learn as I go.

              If I was in a site populated by mostly left wing its more a left wing echo chamber (no, I am not calling TDB an echo chamber), I might only hear my own voice sounding back to me. And when opposed my opposition might get piled on. I might start to think I am RIGHT.

              I could progress into total idiocy quite easily from there.

              • francesca …
                12 April 2019 at 3:33 pm

                I like your comment WTB
                I just wish there was more measured discussion., not violently colliding opinions.
                A lot depends on the topic of course, but there’s some pretty short fuses around

                • gsays …
                  12 April 2019 at 6:46 pm

                  Hi Francesca, WTB, Wild Katipo, TRP, this is the most fascinating aspect of this issue.
                  Once again the ‘left’ tears itself apart, saving the worst for its closest cousins.
                  Please remember our premier’s plea for kindness.

                  From my reckons, it’s the sexual assault allegations that negate Assange any kudos from some sections of the left.
                  Chelsea Manning was very jolly corageous for her actions, but they would not have had much effect without Assange and Snowden and their antics.

                  As an aside I find James and his ilk very disingenuous when they say the sex side of this is why they aren’t down with Julian.
                  As others have shown this hypocrisy, it must be his fondness of the US government at the root of his disaffection.

              • Brigid …
                12 April 2019 at 7:39 pm

                Ah but have there been any right wingers on this site, or even chardonay socialists, you have learnt anything from?

                • KJT …
                  13 April 2019 at 1:48 pm

                  They are useful, in fact.

                  As they all tend to “sing from the same songbook”.

                  It helps in assembling actual facts, to counter their memes, here and elsewhere.

  24. WILD KATIPO 24
    12 April 2019 at 9:20 am

    Interesting this site is so hostile towards Assange. Here’s a few points from Martyn Brabury over at The Daily Blog to provide some contrast:

    ——————————————-

    Assange matters because he is one of the greatest investigative journalist whistleblowers on the planet, and his continued confinement is akin to torture.

    As for the allegations of sexual assault against him, the defence to those allegations are here…

    * the women involved said they weren’t raped. One of the two women complained that she was railroaded by police, didn’t want to charge Julian with anything and that the police “made up the charges”

    * despite this, Julian was never and has never been formally charged with anything

    * Sweden gave him permission to leave Sweden after he volunteered to be interviewed
    * the first investigating prosecutor in Sweden said there was no case to answer and dropped it. A second prosecutor with political connections to the Deep State then was assigned to reopen the case
    * Sweden then refused to interview him in London for years, even though it was routine for them to interview people in the UK and they had done so in dozens of other cases
    * The group ‘Women Against Rape‘ and longtime anti-rape advocates like Naomi Wolf wrote publicly about how it was clear the rape allegations were politically motivated smears to punish Julian
    * At the time of the rape allegations, there was already a Pentagon manhunt underway for Julian in retaliation for publishing the Afghan War Logs revealing war crimes by the US, and Manning had been arrested and was being tortured in a cage in Kuwait
    * The Swedish police leaked the investigation to the entire world press before Julian had even been interviewed
    * After years of stonewalling their own investigation, Sweden finally dropped it in 2017. Now the US via the UK is openly persecuting him
    He is being crucified because he exposed war crimes and abuses of political power, the charges are trumped up.

    No one else managed to expose state secrets like he did, their wrath will be unforgiving.

    • Adrian Thornton 24.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:49 am

      I often wonder if those on the ‘left’ on this forum who have spent so much time and energy over the years defending the indefensible, ie our own neoliberal Labour party..have ultimately paid the price for their unquestioning loyalty, with their own ability to think critically…or so it would seem.

      Good piece there on The Daily Blog, thanks.

      • WILD KATIPO 24.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:56 am

        The Woke Left and their vicious hypocrisy :

        Gollum held the ring for significantly longer than Bilbo, and therefore its hold on him was more considerable. It warped his personality from Smeagol to that of Gollum. He was possessed by such a desire to keep it secret that he hid himself in the cave and became the creature Gollum.

      • KJT 24.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 11:05 am

        This site is not a hive mind.
        There are many different flavours.

        Even Bomber however, is centre with leftish inclinations.

        Very few on either site are supportive of “forcibly taking over the means of production”.

        Most want to make a mixed Democratic economy, work better for most people.

        And. Plenty of criticism here of the Neo-liberals in Labour, and National.

        There are some, who are of authoritarian bent, which we can see here. Unfortunately.

        • WILD KATIPO 24.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 11:19 am

          …’ Plenty of criticism here of the Neo-liberals in Labour ‘ …

          I cut that short because there is nowhere NEAR ENOUGH.

          Personally I do not like that convenient catchphrase used by Labour ‘ that we are a broad church’.

          Broad church for WHAT ?? , – is that just a convenient term to have a foot in both camps, ? – at the expense of WORKERS ? – just WHAT does Labour stand for anymore when we have all these closet Woke Left neo liberals lurking in its midst, clogging up the opinions on this site and , My God !- screeching loudly in agreement with right wing trolls who also co habituate here in wanting Assange dragged through the mud to the rack then guillotine ???

          Whose side are you really on?

          • KJT 24.1.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 11:31 am

            Haven’t read much of my posts, have you. On this site to. Over years.

            Or even my comments on this thread. Which make similar points to yours, without the invective and name calling.
            Which I think detracts from your points, rather than reinforces them
            WTF with “woke left” for example. A derogatory term invented by the self described, Alt right.

            • WILD KATIPO 24.1.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 11:53 am

              … ‘ Haven’t read much of my posts, have you. On this site to. Over years ‘…

              You are assuming way too much. Of course I have. And the question ‘whose side are you really on ?” ,… is a generic one. Not necessary directed at you.

              As for the name calling I think not. It is a response to the snide ‘invective’ and implications used by others. I don’t come out guns blasting if people are respectful. As soon as they do , – the gloves are off. I’ll not be anyone’s doormat.

              As for twisting things using ” Which I think detracts from your points, rather than reinforces them” I think that could be leveled equally among many here, – many , – which by virtue of actually BEING woke left never have any threats of ‘ bans’ or ‘censuring’ applied to them. I could name a fair few snipers around here . Quite a few.

              So yes the Woke Left is alive and well here. The same sort of types that perpetuate neo liberalism in the Labour party. They are the useful tools of the Far Right in this country. So please, do us all a service and ADMIT that they , as a collective body , – are ALIVE AND WELL in the Labour party.

              We are not that monumentally stupid, and the game was up years and years ago.

          • cleangreen 24.1.2.1.2
            12 April 2019 at 12:09 pm

            Bang on WK you nailed it.

  25. Formerly Ross 25
    12 April 2019 at 9:26 am

    “There is a long tradition of the use of rape and sexual assault for political agendas that have nothing to do with women’s safety. In the south of the US, the lynching of black men was often justified on grounds that they had raped or even looked at a white woman. Women don’t take kindly to our demand for safety being misused, while rape continues to be neglected at best or protected at worst.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-rape-allegations-freedom-of-speech

    “…men are pretty much never treated the way Assange is being treated in the face of sex crime charges…Never in twenty-three years of reporting on and supporting victims of sexual assault around the world have I ever heard of a case of a man sought by two nations, and held in solitary confinement without bail in advance of being questioned — for any alleged rape, even the most brutal or easily proven”.

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jaccuse-sweden-britain-an_b_795899

    Women Against Rape and Naomi Wolf are not known as cheerleaders for rapists, so there might be more going on here than meets the eye. And when you take into account the fact that for a long time Swedish authorities said Assange had to return to Sweden to be interviewed, that he couldn’t be questioned in the UK – which proved to be a lie – you do wonder what’s going on.

    • Sabine 25.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:49 am

      What you do not mention here is in my opinion the crux of the matter

      he knew he was a target.
      he knew that officials in many countries were not happy about him
      he knew that if they could get him and lock him up they would.

      HE KNEW!

      and yet, he fucks around with people he don’t know, he breaks agreement on how to fuck around, in the one country on this planet that actually has some really stringent laws on what is consent and on what is not consent.

      and yet, he fucks around as if he is immune to being used for a fool with the aim of getting him locked up. I think they call it honey pot.

      Again, stupidity does not protect you from harm. Again, being horny and not giving a fuck about consent does not protect you from harm.

      He was stupid beyond believe.
      And maybe just maybe we should again discuss how we should trust women (cause there were two of them) when they state that someone did not behave like a decent person.

      • Formerly Ross 25.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:02 am

        Sabine,

        You say he knew but you don’t present any evidence. It seems you’re saying he shouldn’t have sex otherwise he might be accused of rape and be extradited to the US. Well, he maybe didn’t imagine in his wildest dreams that would happen!

        and yet, he fucks around with people he don’t know, he breaks agreement on how to fuck around, in the one country on this planet that actually has some really stringent laws on what is consent and on what is not consent.

        Again, no evidence, just allegations. Swedish authorities could’ve interviewed him in the UK but they said they couldn’t. Then they decided they could. They took so long to question him that the staute of limitations expired in regards to some of the allegations. That is not showing alleged rape victims much respect. Again, when Women Against Rape and Naomi Wolf are fighting for you, it might pay to listen to them.

      • KJT 25.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 11:39 am

        Sabine. You know what they say about men, and the little brain.
        I think it is entirely consistent with principles, however, to say Assunge should be tried, in a fair trial, and if convicted, be jailed in Sweden, without the threat of being hauled of to the US, gulag, for the non crime, of embarrassing war criminals.

        • WILD KATIPO 25.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 11:56 am

          Awesome . My sentiments.

          OR , skipping bail in the UK ?… whats the max term for that?

          Certainly not 200 years inside a stinking rotten USA prison simply because he called them out and they got all embarrassed about their hypocrisy…

        • McFlock 25.1.2.2
          12 April 2019 at 1:24 pm

          Funnily enough, if he’d hung around Sweden he’d have had his trial, done his time, and been out by now.

          • KJT 25.1.2.2.1
            12 April 2019 at 2:38 pm

            No. He would have still been in gitmo or similar. Being waterboarded “per encourager les …..”. Cmon McFlock, you are not that naif.

            • McFlock 25.1.2.2.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 2:47 pm

              Oh bollocks.
              The entire idea of gitmo is so that the prisoner is not on US soil so has no constitutional rights, but because they aren’t official military they don’t get Geneva Convention protections even though they’re in military custody.

              If you extradite someone, you are releasing them to the civil authorities, meaning legal protections apply. Waterboarding is out, federal prison is in.

          • Brigid 25.1.2.2.2
            12 April 2019 at 7:55 pm

            He wasn’t required to ‘hang around’. The Swedish authorities interviewed him, did not charge him and allowed him to leave.

            How many times does this have to be stated for you to comprehend this fact?

            • McFlock 25.1.2.2.2.1
              12 April 2019 at 8:26 pm

              No, he wasn’t “required” (your word, not mine).

              But his flight (literal and figurative) to the UK, his opposition to extradition back to Sweden, and his abscoinding from bail all meant that he can no longer face trial for at least half the charges for which the arrest warrant was filed.

              A pyrrhic victory from his voluntary confinement.

      • francesca 25.1.3
        12 April 2019 at 3:36 pm

        ok now , honey pot is it, stupidity is the crime , that strips your human rights away.
        Well in that case we’re all doomed, maybe not you, cos you’ve never done anything stupid
        But me, I’m done for , as of course the whole human race is.

  26. Nick J 26
    12 April 2019 at 9:28 am

    Years back from this site there was (and I note from comments above from the same people) a strong condemnation of Assange as a sexual offender. It did not matter to these people that Assange offered to cooperate, or that even the women concerned wouldn’t cooperate with the authorities on what has since been proven a witch hunt designed to get Assange to the USA.

    Anyway I am grateful to these anti Assange commenters for crystalising something that I perceived but could not name. It was ideologically possessed authoritarianism from the Left, the phenomenon of creating victims and crimes to justify creating oppressor narratives with the necessary bad guys. I can now name it, identity politics from the woke ‘Left”.

    Consequently I fekked off from this site as I will do again. Thanks guys, most illuminating, harder to get rid of the bad taste lingering.

    • francesca 26.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:38 am

      Thanks Nick
      I agree
      And I must say , I have never known the authorities to pursue an alleged rapist with such enthusiasm and vigour.
      If I tried to get the police interested in a complaint
      about sex without a condom , I don’t think I’d get any traction.
      Even more serious sexual assaults are difficult to get to court
      The courts in Sweden must be overflowing if they pursue complaints like this with equal vigour

    • WILD KATIPO 26.2
      12 April 2019 at 9:47 am

      … ; It was ideologically possessed authoritarianism from the Left, the phenomenon of creating victims and crimes to justify creating oppressor narratives with the necessary bad guys. I can now name it, identity politics from the woke ‘Left” ….

      ABSOLUTE 100% BINGO , there Nick J.

      You’ve hit the nail on the head succinctly.

    • Sabine 26.3
      12 April 2019 at 10:12 am

      the thing is he is no Saint, so why should people treat him as one?

      Wikileaks had a few good years, provided some much needed transparency into the doings of our selected world wide leadership.

      but, he also did some really stupid shit. And why should people not point that out.

      Again the sex thing to me is important insofar as it shows how often some men disregard the explicit wishes of women when it comes to safe sex. And we know the repercussion for women who have unwanted pregnancies. They either involve child birth or abortion. Something that no man will ever have to contemplated after a having unprotected sex.

      but his leaking the data of virtually most of turkeys women? What the fuck was he thinking? Why? What good did it do? Or was the point not the good that it could do, but just a simple reminder that it can be done? so shut up women?

      So take me, i have no use for J.A. yet i have much time for Chelsea Manning, the one that actually did leak the information, stood up for her deeds and paid the price, btw, she is still paying the price as again she finds herself locked up for her principles. Yet this bloke with few principles is to be the hero of the left? Really?

      Walking and chewing gum, it can be done. Acknowledging the good one did, while also acknowledging the truly stupid and horrendous shit one did should also be done, and it should be encouraged. Because no one is all the time good or all the time bad.

      • Formerly Ross 26.3.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:21 am

        the thing is he is no Saint, so why should people treat him as one?

        I wasn’t aware anyone was. At the same time, I wasn’t aware that he is the baddest man on the planet.

        You may have forgotten what a UN panel of legal experts said about the case against him in 2016:

        “A UN panel has found that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained by the UK and Sweden for more than five years and should be released immediately with compensation. The panel calls on the Swedish and British authorities to end Assange’s ‘deprivation of liberty’, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement and offer him compensation.”

        https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/2016/feb/05/julian-assange-is-being-arbitrarily-detained-un-panel-finds-live-updates

        • Sabine 26.3.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 10:28 am

          He is not the baddest person lol, and i think few people say that.

          but what he is in my books, and maybe in the books of a few others, he is a very selfish, unconcerned and stupid person who did a few things decent in his life.

          And sadly for him, while doing the few decent things in life he pissed of a lot of people in power. And instead of being smart about it and living his life in a way that would keep himself somewhat save he just did one stupid thing after the other one and literally ran of the good will of many.

          He could have ended his ‘deprivation of liberty’ by growing a bit of courage and step out of that embassy a long time ago. Heck he could have made a spectacle out of it, and thus ensured his physical wellbeing just by sheer notoriety. But he did not.

          As someone mentioned below, it would have been easier for him to do so under democrats than now under Trump. What ever aid he may wittingly or unwittingly provided to the orange despot, i think we can all agree that non of that matters to the orange one. If a scapegoat is needed he will be one, after all the orange one will always only look out for his orange self.
          and he can’t blame anyone but himself.

          If Chelsea Manning can go to prison for leaking / whistleblowing, so can he. And then maybe he would be a hero truly, rather than just this tiny little man who once upon a long time provided an internet platform to whistle blowers.

          • KJT 26.3.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 11:11 am

            We could all throw ourselves under a bus, literally, to protest Labours continued abandonment of all our children and families, in poverty, and be hero’s to.
            Though I doubt it will make any difference.

            How many of us have that degree of courage?

            • WILD KATIPO 26.3.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 11:42 am

              Its no use. According to some obsessive types who cannot get over themselves they would prefer all whistelblowers go to blazes if it assuages their bias.

              The question is, … when their own civil rights are threatened , and their political system is threatened will they :

              A) stand up and do the hard yards themselves to ensure freedom ?

              B ) speak truth to power with the same risks to liberty as Assange?

              C ) have the same staying power as Assange did and still maintain innocence despite media smear campaigns?

              The emphatic answer is NO.

              They don’t have the guts, the intelligence , nor the will. Far easier to snipe from the sidelines from thousands of kilometers away and strut their pompous self righteousness and follow the Woke Left herd. They are truly sniveling, cowardly political degenerates only concerned with their own petty self interests.

              • cleangreen …
                12 April 2019 at 12:36 pm

                WK

                Exactly right, as most are to spineless to stand up for our collective freedom.

                The irony is that USA want Assange back as a whistle blower on the Government so wasn’t that what and George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did when they stood against the ‘British rule’ of the US during the in American War of Independence (1776),?

                They were both made a hero’s not as criminal’s as Assange was?

                http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_american_independence.html

                • WILD KATIPO …
                  12 April 2019 at 1:02 pm

                  That’s right , they are gutless. The real reason they want to shit on Assange is because of their psychopathic hated of Trump.

                  But the funny irony is even Trumps denying he knew who Wikileaks were… but of course this isn’t good enough for the Woke Left,… oh no ….

                  And that embarrassing little interview between John Pilger and Julian Assange has them all chaffing at the bit…

                  They would far rather have had Barrack OBomBa ordering drone strikes murdering civilians every Tuesday for another five years than have Trump in power.

                  So much for the ‘caring sharing Woke Left’.

                  Soooo… I suppose its time for a historical recap.

                  To which I suppose now the Woke Left will turn on John Pilger as being some sort of bad guy plant working for the arms industry !!

                  L0L0L0L0L0L !!!!

                  Julian Assange: US knows Saudi and Qatari sponsor ISIS – YouTube

                  • Gabby …
                    12 April 2019 at 1:10 pm

                    You reckon Chumpie’s not murdering civilians do you katty pu?

                    • WILD KATIPO …
                      12 April 2019 at 1:23 pm

                      At least he isn’t perpetuating drone strikes against civilians.

                      Lets compare the body counts then if you want to get snide.

                      Provide em.

                      Lets tally up the scores.

                      And btw thank you. You have provided exactly the sort of ammunition’s I wanted with regards the snide Woke Left kids who never get so much as a wet bus ticket slap over the wrists on this site.

                      You argument has been voided and you have nothing left but puerile insults. Congratulations, you have proven my point admirably.

                      EDIT : Oh , and BTW – I don’t think you have a shits show in hell of providing a thing against a 5 year term of slaughter kicked off even earlier by little Georgie bush.

                      Or his Daddy Sr.

                      So you better get researching real hard ,bud.

                      That should keep you busy up into the early hours.

                    • Macro …
                      12 April 2019 at 1:50 pm

                      Trump Ramped Up Drone Strikes in America’s Shadow Wars
                      In his first two years in office, Donald Trump launched 238 drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia—way beyond what the ‘Drone President’ Barack Obama did.
                      https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-ramped-up-drone-strikes-in-americas-shadow-wars

                      Trump presided over 35 strikes in Somalia in 2017. That’s two and a half times Obama’s 14 in 2016—and it eclipsed, in that single year, the 33 strikes undertaken during Obama’s entire tenure.

                      Thus far in 2018, the U.S. has launched 32 strikes with a month and a half to go, a U.S. Africa Command spokesperson, John Manley, told The Daily Beast. The most recent “precision strike” occurred on Monday, the command announced Tuesday; Bolduc said the term was “95 percent” likely to be a euphemism for a drone strike.

                      Manley offered no explanation for the strike figures. “U.S. Africa Command airstrikes conducted in support of the Federal Government of Somalia generally are opportunistic in nature, so it would be difficult to speculate on the rise and fall of the number of strikes conducted over the last two years,” he said.

                      But a May 2013-era Obama instruction instituted a standard of “near certainty” that a suspected senior terrorist would be present at the site of a proposed strike. Under Trump, at least for Somalia, it dropped to “reasonable certainty,” Bolduc said.

                      That’s just Somalia. Drone strikes have increased in Yemen, and Iraq.
                      Furthermore

                      Air Force budget documents show a 63 percent increase in Hellfire purchases in Trump’s 2017 budget and an another 20 percent increase in the most recent budget request.

                      His latest Budget proposal is to spend 62 cents from every dollar of the budget on the Military! To fund this he will cut spending on health, education, protection of the environment, and other welfare services such as funding $17 mill for special olympics. If he isn’t killing civilians overseas he sure is killing them in the US.
                      Your turn.

                    • WILD KATIPO …
                      12 April 2019 at 2:54 pm

                      Macro… you still haven’t finished- how many civilians AND regimes were toppled under Trump?

                      What was the body count during those wars, Macro?

                      It seems you have deliberately left the unfortunate facts out to suit your anti Trump narrative.

                      Lets see,… OK we have the two Georgie’s and then we have have every Woke Lefts favorite,- Barrack OBomBa.

                      Lets start from there to make it easier on you.

                    • Macro …
                      12 April 2019 at 4:37 pm

                      Macro… you still haven’t finished- how many civilians AND regimes were toppled under Trump?

                      What was the body count during those wars, Macro?

                      It seems you have deliberately left the unfortunate facts out to suit your anti Trump narrative.

                      Sorry WK but that is up for you to enumerate. You are the one making the outlandish accusation no one else. Therefore it is up to you to provide the proof for your claims. You have provided none. I and others here have shown that under this current incumbent drone strikes have increased, and at the same time the standard of verification for launching those strikes has decreased.
                      By the way, moving the goal posts as you do in your first sentence is an invalid form of argument.

                    • Gabby …
                      13 April 2019 at 12:11 am

                      If he says so himself eh wily katty bro?

                    • WILD KATIPO …
                      12 April 2019 at 2:59 pm

                      So….’weapons of mass destruction’ mean nothing to you then despite none ever being found…

                      And just WHY was OBomBa so keen on not extricating troops out yet simply signed off every Tuesday for drone strikes to kill ever more civilians INSTEAD of tackling ISIS, Sabine?

                      Could it have something to do with the interview between John Pilger and Julian Assange ???

                      Y’know- the $80 billion plus arms deals Hilary Clinton signed off on to then be redistributed to ISIS under OBomBa ?

                      And then the one after that which was DOUBLED???

                      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

                  • WILD KATIPO …
                    12 April 2019 at 7:52 pm

                    One for Macro.

                    Civilian casualties from U.S. drone strikes – Wikipedia
                    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_from_U.S._drone_strikes

                    Now,… ask yourself… who was in term the longest , who carried on the two Georgie’s murder policy’s longest and who used the Clinton Foundation to provide arms to ISIS?

                    That’s right , you guessed it – Barrack OBomBa.

                    Not a lot of change happening with OBomBa was there… just a lazy arms deal letting the Saudis, Bahrani’s and those from Qatar purchase arms for ISIS. No wonder OBomBa felt comfortable in signing off every Tuesday for five years using drone strikes. He used ISIS to do his bidding for him.

                    And if you cant see that your willfully ignoring the facts.

                    • Macro …
                      12 April 2019 at 8:44 pm

                      Excuse me! Who is the one ignoring facts?
                      From you reference:

                      President Donald Trump, on March 6, 2019, signed an executive order revoking the requirement that U.S. intelligence officials publicly report the number of civilians killed in drone strikes and other attacks on terrorist targets outside of war zones. The Trump administration had previously ignored a May 2018 deadline for an annual accounting of civilian and enemy casualties required under Executive Order 13732[14] signed in 2016 by Barack Obama.[15][16]

                      So No civilian casualties under tRump because who’s counting anyway!
                      The man has an EQ of zero, and doesn’t give tuppence about anyone apart from himself. As for people in Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, et al he cares not one iota. If his drones kill a few hundred innocent people – what the heck.
                      I cannot for the life of me see why you give him such regard.

      • JP 26.3.2
        12 April 2019 at 10:25 am

        Assange ≠ Wikileaks, despite his burning desire to ensure that this is seen to be true.

    • gsays 26.4
      12 April 2019 at 6:55 pm

      Hi Nick, you don’t feel an obligation or sense of duty to stick around and contribute to help arrest the slide?

      I found your comment quite insightful.

      • Nick J 26.4.1
        13 April 2019 at 4:27 pm

        No G, won’t hang around, just a visit or two. The same people I received abuse from years back are still prominent… really it’s a case of dropping by and exposing their lazy and dangerous thinking. On the slide, it’s actually a bit like a descent into Hades, neither better or worse.

        • gsays 26.4.1.1
          13 April 2019 at 4:58 pm

          Chur.
          I reckon there are parallels with wider society.
          MY opinions.
          MY feelings.
          MY rights.

          Their is no rage bigger than a pious, righteous rage.

          • McFlock 26.4.1.1.1
            13 April 2019 at 5:06 pm

            So if he did it, the women should just have taken it for the team and not told anyone?

            • gsays 26.4.1.1.1.1
              13 April 2019 at 5:28 pm

              No.

            • gsays 26.4.1.1.1.2
              13 April 2019 at 5:31 pm

              You and I have no idea what went on.

              What I am aware of and am commenting on is the antics here on TS.

              • Psycho Milt …
                13 April 2019 at 5:54 pm

                You mean the terrible suffering Nick J has endured from finding that some people still disagree with him and are still happy to tell him why? Oh, the humanity!

              • McFlock …
                13 April 2019 at 9:22 pm

                Funnily enough, same here.

                Assange might be guilty or innocent of sexual assault, but even if he’d been tried and convicted of rape back in 2010 his fans here would still be saying that it was a case of “creating victims and crimes to justify creating oppressor narratives”.

                Make no mistake, this constant and uncritical defense of a hero is why Bill Cosby and Jimmy Saville could be sexual predators literally for decades.

                • mauī …
                  13 April 2019 at 11:20 pm

                  Oh please, this is not a case of uncovering a monster who has been in hiding in Ecuador, as much as you would like it to be. I haven’t seen a serious independent journalist take that ridiculous angle. The decent journos I’ve read take the view that this is about the essence of journalism itself.

                  Seems Assange is being proved right in every new development too, that he would be extradited if he left safety, that the Swedish allegations were a means to an end..

                  By all means have your day in the sun when he is actually put on trial and actual evidence is provided to proof he is a serial abuser. There will be a church in hell before that is possible.

                  • McFlock …
                    13 April 2019 at 11:44 pm

                    You guys love to conflate the (rather tenuous, in my opinion) “hacking” charge the US have levelled and are trying to extradite him for with the original sexual assault allegations he fled and locked himself away in the embassy to avoid.

                    Yes, the hacking charge raises serious 1st amendment problems, especially if it holds up. From what I gather it rests on an encrypted password Assange got sent but didn’t apparently do anything to decrypt, and an ambiguous phrase he sent Manning about curious eyes. Very thin (which is why the Obama administration didn’t go for it).

                    But Assange put himself on ice for that extradition, because he was avoiding sexual assault allegations.

                • Drowsy M. Kram …
                  13 April 2019 at 11:59 pm

                  Mentioning Assange, Cosby and Saville in the same comment – kudos, but your slick smears smack of desperation.

                  If Assange is ever convicted of any sexual offences then I won’t be rushing to his defense. But his work to establish WikiLeaks, and provide a conduit for whistleblowers to inform on state-sanctioned deeds most foul, pre-dates those alleged offences. The allegations don’t tarnish the ‘work’ done, just as the work done doesn’t excuse any sexual offending (if proven).

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v_Swedish_Prosecution_Authority

                  It’s all academic – once the “narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests” (thank-you for your impartiality, Judge Snow), is extradited to the US, the Ecuadorean embassy in which Assange spent 7 years will indeed seem like a gilded cage.

                  And to think that less than a month ago McFlock was of the firm opinion that, were he in Assange’s shoes, he would definitely have walked out of the embassy there and then!

                  Btw, the idea that “constant and uncritical defense” of Cosby and Saville occurred “literally for decades” seems odd, as there was no decades-long public awareness of their criminal offending. Michael Jackson might be a better fit in the ‘decades of constant and uncritical defense’ department.

                  • McFlock …
                    14 April 2019 at 12:13 am

                    What’s that line about “everything before ‘but'” being meaningless?

                    The allegations weren’t widely known because the awesome work they did meant their victims knew the allegations wouldn’t be believed. Same situation with Assange.

                    As for the extradition, it’s not a done deal. He’s got a better case than he did for the sexual assault.

                    Oh, and I wouldn’t have gone in there in the first place. I wouldn’t even have gone to the USA’s closest ally if I was genuinely afraid of extradition there at the time. Not a bad place to try to avoid a rape charge, though.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      14 April 2019 at 1:05 am

                      “Assange might be guilty or innocent of sexual assault, but even if he’d been tried and convicted of rape back in 2010 his fans here would still be saying that it was a case of “creating victims and crimes to justify creating oppressor narratives”.”

                      “Everything before ‘but’ being meaningless“, and everything after the ‘but‘ is bullshit.

                      “Make no mistake, this constant and uncritical defense of a hero is why Bill Cosby and Jimmy Saville could be sexual predators literally for decades.”

                      IMO it’s not credible to conflate Cosby and Saville’s proven predatory sexual offending over decades with the alleged offending by Assange. Or to link them via the “uncritical defense of a hero” meme.

                      Carry on – reply and that’s 500 comments!

                    • McFlock …
                      14 April 2019 at 1:20 am

                      still not the record lol

                      Saville never faced court. Cosby I think faced court for one or two, nowhere close to the number of complainants.

                      The point is that if a fictional whistleblower, let’s call him “Julio Blamange”, earned global fame and the ire of superpowers by providing the first major platform for people to anonymously leak the secrets of the powerrful, and then fucked a donkey and fled the country that was investigating him for animal cruelty, it would take an extreme amount of evidence for Julio’s fans to countenance the possibility that he was, in fact, a donkey-fucker. They’d say the farmer couldn’t be trusted, the donkey was a CIA plant to discredit Julio, that the investigating authorities were politically driven to assist the superpowers to imprison Julio, or that they’re suspending judgement until Julio faces the trial he actively fled.

                      Doing good work should not provide immunity from prosecution. Sometimes, the very characteristics that give people the drive and skills to do those good works also enable them to do bad.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      14 April 2019 at 1:31 am

                      Yeah!

                      Fair enough – not being on the spot myself, what ‘Julio’s fans’, or ‘Julio’s naysayers’ know/believe doesn’t interest me as much as what the courts determine. Julio’s gotta to trust the courts, just like the rest of us, right?

                      I wonder if Brett Kavanaugh will get to weigh in at some point – maybe he’ll have some sympathy for Saint Julio – lol.

                    • McFlock …
                      14 April 2019 at 1:49 am

                      That’s why they wanted Kav on there – not this specifically, but this sort of thing. A “conservative”.

                      That having been said, I reckon that even if the yanks do get him from the UK, it will go to the Supreme Court, and even the conservatives like a free press. I suspect he’ll have a fighting chance from the British judiciary, as well. His arguments against extradition to Sweden were wishful thinking, the ones he has against Trumpistan are much more effective.

                      And in the absence of court decisions, all we have are comparative patterns with offenders we have all known and loved. Personally, assange strikes me as being an entitled dickhead – heh, very similar to Kavanaugh in that regard.

  27. Observer Tokoroa 27
    12 April 2019 at 9:30 am

    Sabine

    You have put this Assange fiasco into perspective.

    It took a long time, but thousands of Assange Suckers and Mugs woke up some years ago, in the morning, realising they had been through a Surprised Attack on their derriere and upon their common sense.

    The Judge in Court last night, Michael Snow, got the Fiasco in a nutshell. He said “the 47-year-old’s behaviour was that of a narcissist who cannot get past his own selfish interest.”

    Quoting Sabine :
    “Assange has done some good things and he has done some bad shit.
    Leaking the personal information of thousands of women in Turkey to the public was despicable. ”

    Yes Assange is despicable – with an inbuilt disdain, it would seem – for Women.

    In my opinion, Chelsea was miles ahead of Julian when it came to Uprightness and trustworthyness.

    • Sabine 27.1
      12 April 2019 at 10:33 am

      “In my opinion, Chelsea was miles ahead of Julian when it came to Uprightness and trustworthyness.”

      she still is.
      https://gizmodo.com/assange-charges-finally-reveal-why-chelsea-manning-is-s-1833972958?IR=T

      • Andre 27.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 11:17 am

        Yup. Manning and the others that directly put their own necks at risk (and often paid the price) are the principled heroes of the story. Assange’s role was much more the middleman ticket-clipper.

        • WILD KATIPO 27.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 12:42 pm

          Or perhaps the circumstances didn’t exist for Manning as they did for Assange.

          Tell me,…

          Would you prefer that BOTH never disclosed what they did?

          Or is this just selective bias ???

          Perhaps we should have a global authoritarian govt , perhaps we should have fascism as the modus operandi for all govt systems.

          Would that make you happy?

          Have a good long think both Sabine and Andre. Which side are you on ?

          Billy Bragg – Which Side Are You On? – YouTube

          • Andre 27.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 12:56 pm

            I massively admire Manning for her courage and principle in doing the initial whistleblowing, her courage in taking her lumps when she was busted, and her courage and principle recently in choosing jail over testifying to a grand jury yet again.

            Once upon a time WikiLeaks was a valuable conduit for getting suppressed information out into the public. But sadly Assange’s monumental assholery turned WikiLeaks into a tool for those that simply want to trash western liberal democracy. And the rest of WikiLeaks seemingly happily played along. So fuck’em.

            Then when Assange and WikiLeaks went all in on helping elect the Queens Con, as far as I’m concerned that was a heinous crime against humanity so I really wouldn’t be all that bovvered about what happens to him.

            • WILD KATIPO 27.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 1:16 pm

              First off,… how about some proof of exactly what you are ranting about regards…

              …’ But sadly Assange’s monumental assholery turned WikiLeaks into a tool for those that simply want to trash western liberal democracy ‘ …

              What ?

              Rape charges that have since been disproved and rejected?

              … ‘ a tool for those that simply want to trash western liberal democracy ‘…

              Unbiased citation needed perhaps? Just HOW did Wikileaks turn into a ‘tool for those that simply want to trash western liberal democracy ? ‘

              Was it because Trump was elected and not Clinton ( see video with John Pilger and Assange ) – would you have preferred Barrak OBomBa signing off every Tuesday on drone strikes that murdered civilians for another five years? – because this is where this is headed , buddy.

              And is your last sentence ” Then when Assange and WikiLeaks went all in on helping elect the Queens Con ”…

              Is this something to do with the REAL reason you don’t like Assange and want to see him rot in an American prison for 200 years?

              How vicious.

              My ,… you’re very Woke, aren’t you .

            • WeTheBleeple 27.1.1.1.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 1:57 pm

              I think you give Assange too much credit re Trump in power. Nobody believed Trump would win.

              The awareness of activities sanctioned by democrats certainly wouldn’t have warmed Assange to Clinton either.

              How could he/we have known the circus Trump was bringing to town.

              I would argue there were many things contributing to Trump’s fooling us all including lack of introspection from Americas complacent left.

              • Andre …
                12 April 2019 at 2:20 pm

                I’m actually more interested in intent than effectiveness. It looks crystal clear Assange’s intent in 2016 was simple malice. So fuck’im. As it turned out though, the result was so close that his fuckery might have been enough to tip the balance. Along with fuck knows how many other factors that might have been enough to tip the balance. Jill Stein’s dumbfuckery being another.

                It was well known and explained what kind of circus the loofah-faced shitgibbon would bring. But there were more than enough convergence moonbats more than happy to repeat alt-right Clinton smears. Or purity lefties buying into the smears pretending they were doing something virtuous and meaningful voting for Stein. Assflange played a big active part in that smear-spreading.

                Fooling us all? Fooled you maybe, but have a look back into the archives here and you’ll find plenty that weren’t fooled. Look up media archives for moderate left-leaning media and you won’t find many people being fooled. Hell, plenty of Repugs weren’t fooled, it’s just that after the orange swampzilla became the nominee their spines dissolved and they just cravenly capitulated.

                • WeTheBleeple …
                  12 April 2019 at 3:00 pm

                  “it’s just that after the orange swampzilla became the nominee their spines dissolved and they just cravenly capitulated.”

                  That’s the bit we didn’t see coming. That they couldn’t handle him. Sure folks knew he was a dangerous dingbat, they also imagined checks and balances in the system if he came to power. IF.

                  The thinking was tinted in ‘it’ll never happen’ because he was such an obvious buffoon…

                • WILD KATIPO …
                  12 April 2019 at 3:30 pm

                  So fuck’im

                  his fuckery

                  fuck knows

                  Jill Stein’s dumbfuckery

                  the loofah-faced shitgibbon

                  convergence moonbats

                  Assflange

                  Repugs

                  orange swampzilla

                  Well, that’s a nice expletive laden abusive little post. Are you sure Assange didn’t swipe your favorite pushbike or something? The only one here who has been fooled is yourself by the manic anti Trump brigade. Never mind, … Mueller has led the way for those less inclined towards mindless fanaticism.

                • francesca …
                  12 April 2019 at 3:39 pm

                  So what are you saying, ..that Assange rigged the election by exposing that the DNC had rigged the nomination?
                  Pretty sure those emails were the real thing

                  • Andre …
                    12 April 2019 at 3:57 pm

                    Are you saying that that’s the only election fuckery Assange and WikiLeaks indulged in?

                    • francesca …
                      12 April 2019 at 4:05 pm

                      Are you saying that the emails were faked?
                      They exposed lying politicians

                    • Andre …
                      12 April 2019 at 4:10 pm

                      Are you saying that pulling out one tiny part of a big picture and pretending that is the whole picture, all the while misrepresenting the opposing argument, is an honest way to argue?

                    • francesca …
                      12 April 2019 at 4:26 pm

                      Lay it on

                • maggieinnz …
                  12 April 2019 at 4:27 pm

                  OMG, pissing myself here. 🤣🤣🤣

                  You get an A for mastering Fuckish and an A+ for creativity Andre.
                  I’m actually taking notes!

                  • Andre …
                    12 April 2019 at 4:31 pm

                    Sadly most of that apparent creativity is actually plagiarism. At best a third of my euphemisms for the waddling spray-tan warning label are my originals.

                  • WeTheBleeple …
                    12 April 2019 at 7:26 pm

                    He’s seriously creative with words. One might suspect a poet.

                    Humble??? 😀 😀

                    • maggieinnz …
                      12 April 2019 at 7:41 pm

                      Ohhh hows about an anti-trump poetry challenge! See who can come up with the best/funniest poem using creative insults.

                      Andre is already a natural and although he says those words are plagiarized I checked and they’re actually listed as free to use thanks to creative cuss-commons.

                      What say you Andre? Gonna lead the challenge? Me and Bleep will have a go once we see what we’re up against….:D

                    • Andre …
                      12 April 2019 at 7:53 pm

                      Trust me, if I tried poetry … well, you might prefer Vogon to mine. I’m an engineer.

                      Seriously, it’s stretching my skills to just find two words to put together to mock the tinyfingers twittertwat. If I can put three together, say, genital grabbing golem, or America’s prolapsed rectum, then I have to go have a lie-down to rest afterwards.

                    • Psycho Milt …
                      12 April 2019 at 8:16 pm

                      Ohhh hows about an anti-trump poetry challenge!

                      It’s too late, no-one could top The Sodomite Hal Duncan’s “From Scotland with Love.” He gave us “tangerine nazi rape-clown” and “gold-shittered gobshite Emperor” in a poem that was only tangentially about Trump. God knows what he’d come up with if he made Trump the focus of a poem….

                    • WeTheBleeple …
                      12 April 2019 at 9:17 pm

                      He’s a tribbling frump he’s a dump on a stump
                      A twat tweeting tub thumping President Trump
                      He’s the bigliest asshat the borishest bonce
                      A numbskull a ninny a needless null nonce
                      He’s a shit-in-a-tin-can and swap for your lunch
                      Slow-Draw McGraw and his posse of cunts.

                    • greywarshark …
                      12 April 2019 at 9:30 pm

                      I like the poetry of some engineers, for instance the rough and ready stuff in I’m a Russian Engineer.

  28. Formerly Ross 28
    12 April 2019 at 9:32 am

    Emails between UK and Swedish officials show that Swedish officials were getting “cold feet” in 2013, and were considering dropping the “preliminary investigation” into Assange, but the UK argued forcefully against it. Last year [2017], Sweden finally dropped the investigation (shortly after it finally agreed to interrogate Assange in London, as it could easily have done years earlier), but the UK has been using the allegation that Assange skipped bail as a way to hold the threat of extradition to the United States over his head.

    In March of this year, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno made the conditions of Assange’s arbitrary detention much worse. For seven months, Assange has been without any means to directly communicate with the public—in other words, to defend himself from relentless attacks and ridicule in Western media. Moreno has not only cut off Assange’s internet and telephone access, but also severely restricted visits. Moreno has openly stated that he silenced and isolated Assange because he objected to Assange’s political statements, but rather than blast Moreno for trampling Assange’s right to free expression and other basic rights, the international press and prominent “human rights” organizations have responded with silence, distortions and even smirks.

    https://fair.org/home/assange-case-shows-support-for-free-speech-depends-on-whos-talking/

    • WILD KATIPO 28.1
      12 April 2019 at 9:53 am

      And yet the ‘Woke Left’ – many of which riddle this site refuse to admit that little Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno wants American investment to be ongoing.

      Now ask yourself,… if YOU were the Pres of a smaller economy in need of constant financial investments, wouldn’t YOU sell yourself out and hand over someone who your benefactors want so badly ???

      • Sabine 28.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:15 am

        How dare the President of Ecuador do his own thing. How fucking dare he! Right!

        again, why should the Ecuadorian Embassy be the final resting place of J.A.?

        • WILD KATIPO 28.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 11:09 am

          Oh um,… wasn’t going to mention it but I suppose I will…

          “In my opinion, Chelsea was miles ahead of Julian when it came to Uprightness and trustworthyness.”

          she still is ”.

          So ,… going inverse to your Woke Leftism,… its because A } hes had a sex change and become a she, and B} you don’t like men?

          Oh well ,… time for song if you cant get over yourself, Sabine. Relax, cool off and let some of that hate and prejudice wash itself away some… I think this ones for you.

          Lou Reed – Take a Walk on the Wild Side – YouTube

          • greywarshark 28.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 2:35 pm

            This is the Lou Reed song that might be closer to Julian Assanges thoughts
            today. I hope we can keep him hanging on despite all the viciousness of the USA pollies and Forces. You’re going to reap just what you sow you players with people’s lives.

          • Psycho Milt 28.1.1.1.2
            12 April 2019 at 8:21 pm

            So ,… going inverse to your Woke Leftism,… its because A } hes had a sex change and become a she, and B} you don’t like men?

            Seriously, you’re going there because it annoys you that a woman cares about consent and dares to say so on a comments thread?

      • reason 28.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 10:54 am

        Don’t ask that WILD KATIPO …. james will be calling you a rape apologist …

        The Democracy Now report covers your point quite well …. I won’t post its link three times in a thread though .

        Instead the Set Rich / wikileaks connection …. https://contraspin.co.nz/someone-is-lying-to-seth-richs-family-about-kim-dotcom/

  29. Observer Tokoroa 29
    12 April 2019 at 10:31 am

    Common Sense

    There is among humans a constant wish to know everything about your neighbour.
    About your police force. About how much money Mr Bradley has.

    However, if you raid the home of your neighbour gathering information, whether by Break and Enter or by Digital – your neighbour would scream blue murder.

    The Police would support the Neighbour. Not you.

    That is what Assange paid no due attention towards. He has the right of free speech. he has the right to blow his nose. But he cannot uplift the information belonging to Sovereign States. Even if they be mere Islands.

    It is unlawful to steal or to attempt to steal information belonging to individuals without Licence. It is strictly unlawful to steal or release information belonging to the State.

    Assange is clearly of little intelligence. As far as I can see, Assange gained us nothing but trouble for himself – and no change in how Nations run their Defences.

    He will receive quite a large Bill for his thefts I should imagine.

    Oh but you say we found out Bradley had a Drone. Oh really ! big deal.

  30. mauī 30
    12 April 2019 at 11:16 am

    Let’s face it, this whole thing is a distraction from real lefty issues like banning whatever Folau’s religion is, removing gender from birth certificates, banning anything of Russian origin (especially their media), and getting Mueller’s next update.

  31. Adrian Thornton 31
    12 April 2019 at 11:37 am

    Progressive left commentators and activists are rallying world wide to defend Assange…

    • WILD KATIPO 31.1
      12 April 2019 at 12:03 pm

      Before I even watched that I saw that self satisfied cop fucker with his cheesy grin splashed all over his face in the foreground. What a prick. I suppose he thinks he’ll get a pat on the head and a pay rise for obstructing global criminality cases.

      Fascist.

      Lest we forget such things as the bogus ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’… and many , many others since that bullshit era.

      • greywarshark 31.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 2:29 pm

        That was a ‘successful got him, job done’ smirk. He doesn’t have any political
        understanding that’s not his job. He’s got the same attitude as the RW that come here. Just doing what satisfies them, or what they are paid for.

        • greywarshark 31.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 3:12 pm

          Daniel Ellsberg commenting on Assange – possibly going to be kept in isolation for the rest of his life – reminds me of The Man In the Iron Mask. Back to the dark ages with the USA. He says that the break with precedent in doing things against the First Amendment and the lack of respect for journalists and also for anyone seeking asylum affects anyone the world over seeking safety from an oppressor.

          • WILD KATIPO 31.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 3:34 pm

            Yes,… but this is what the Woke Left wants… so who are we to argue ?…

            Fascism for all.

            Comes in all flavors and shapes and sizes .

            A Fascism for all occasions , no less.

  32. Observer Tokoroa 32
    12 April 2019 at 11:42 am

    Dear Nick

    You amused me with your line :
    ” ideologically possessed authoritarianism from the Left ”

    You obviously have no women in your Life. Did the possessed authoritarian Lefties deny you a Mum ?

    Because Nickl, any woman knows whether a Condom Protection has been torn apart or removed from her Vagina you old bit of nonsense.

    Women are very conscious of what guys like you insert or not insert into them.

    The two women that Assange upset were typical normal women, and they made sure that Assange would be a consenting gentleman. They were so wrong about the vicious Assange.

    Get this bit Nick. They were volunteers of Assanges’ Wikileaks Project, and they worked for him as volunteers.

    But the silly bastard did not give either of them the sexual respect they required of him. He ravaged one sans condom (as I understand it ) in the night sleeping hours.

    Assange did not want to go back to Sweden. Not because of USA or the Queen of England or for the everlasting Mr Putin, Or for Ecuador.

    He did not want to be found guilty of serious Sexual Crime. WorldWide outrage. Two straight women were deeply upset by his fuck and run attitude. Ruined by him.

    All the time he was blaming USA for being murderous towards him. Although Sweden never ever suggested they would extradite him to USA.

    If found guilty of Sexual Crime – his reputation as a real man would have fallen into world wide AND outback cinders.

    Coward is as Coward does.

    • Nick J 32.1
      12 April 2019 at 1:05 pm

      Glad I amused you.
      Please cast no assertions about my mother or the woman in my life, that’s really malign, they are wonderful beyond imagination.

      I see you would support the keeping of secrets by a sovereign state. Did you watch the information released by Assange and Manning, video of indiscriminate killing of innocents? If you don’t think we should see that, and would support that state, well that speaks volumes.

      • Sabine 32.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 1:55 pm

        you know what, we all watched these videos and they confirmed what we all knew along. A. the US is a warmongering state, and b. they don’t give a shit about collateral damage.

        however this does not take away what Assange did to these two women.

        And again, as i said before, maybe men really don’t give a fuck about impregnating women with whom they have casual sex. Maybe they really don’t. And maybe you don’t care about it either. But women do. WE are the ones to deal with the unwanted pregnancies that result of men not taking care of their fertility or forcibly inseminating a women without her consent – a risk that he took.
        And if she would have had a pregnancy resulting from it it would have been her to take care of it, right? Abortion – with all the shit that comes with that, or 25 + years of single mother hood and child rearing costs.

        As i said above, he was dumb. So fucking dumb it hurts actually. Cause only a dumb man who does not care about his sexual partner, volunteers, staff or women in general would fuck a women without a condom when he was explicitly told that that was the only way she would consider fucking him.

        so for all the good he and his mates did by providing the wikileaks platform to whistleblowers, he turned it all into shit by fucking a women without her complicit consent and by fucking her without a condom he showed that he had absolutely no qualms about getting her pregnant.

        And that has got nothing to do with any state secrets or shit. This was and is the action of seriously deluded, self absorbed bullshitter.

        • McFlock 32.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 1:57 pm

          Agreed.

        • Macro 32.1.1.2
          12 April 2019 at 2:02 pm

          +1

        • JohnSelway 32.1.1.3
          12 April 2019 at 3:12 pm

          ^^ Good post Sabine

        • WILD KATIPO 32.1.1.4
          12 April 2019 at 3:39 pm

          You hate men because you are a radical feminist and keep ignoring the fact the rape charges were dropped- if they ever existed at all. And your main reason for all the vitriol is because you see getting at Julian Assange in some way of getting at Trump.

          So no , that was not a good post, JohnSelway.

          If Assange was truly being extradited to the US or any-wheres else for that matter , he probably would have gone to court defending those rape charges , – but he didn’t have to because those charges were dropped.

          How many times do you have to be told ?

          And yet here is you , Sabine , quite happy to see a person get anywhere’s from up to 200 years in prison on bogus treason charges just to assuage your pettiness.

          As Greywarshark has posted :

          ———————————

          ‘ Daniel Ellsberg commenting on Assange – possibly going to be kept in isolation for the rest of his life – reminds me of The Man In the Iron Mask. Back to the dark ages with the USA. He says that the break with precedent in doing things against the First Amendment and the lack of respect for journalists and also for anyone seeking asylum affects anyone the world over seeking safety from an oppressor ‘.

          ———————————

          And all that just because of your petty ( and erroneous ) views on rape charges that no longer exist.

      • Observer Tokoroa 32.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 5:26 pm

        Hi Nick

        I see you supported Julian Assange through thick an thin and followed every thing he demanded.

        You supported your dodgy mate Assange – rather than your own Women. And you poured scorn on two Normal excellent Swedish women. To whom Assange reportedly denied the usual civilised respect. Rat bag.

        Did you support what he did to the thousands of Turkish Women. ?

        You people of the Right are sickness in action. I am sorry to say.

        • WILD KATIPO 32.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 6:30 pm

          Hang on a minute , mate ,- how do YOU know those women were not plants in order to entrap Assange. Despite being ‘ volunteers’ in that organization .

          Think this is all fairy land conspiracy theory stuff? Do you subscribe to the old medieval notion that all womanhood is purity and God-likeness?

          Think again.

          Courtesy of the CIA.

          Marita Lorenz – Wikipedia
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marita_Lorenz

          Geraldo Rivera – Part 2 – Marita Lorenz – YouTube

          • McFlock 32.1.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 6:39 pm

            And if that were plausible, he can bring it up at trial if the swedes reactivate the investigation on the charges that have not yet exceeded their statute of limitations.

            • WILD KATIPO 32.1.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 6:47 pm

              Yes, that would be interesting ,… a background check of Assanges accusers.

              But of course- YOU know and I know,.. it will have nothing to do with two Swedish women, and EVERYTHING to do with espionage charges / computer hacking and thus issues of ‘ national security’ once the USA extradites J.A back to continental America.

              I have also learnt on this site its OK to use the term RWNJ , but not W Left.

              Interesting… almost as interesting as some peoples refusals to accept historic precedents… yet somehow Snowden , Genwald and the rest are spared the same scrutiny – and thier private lives have not been sprayed across the global media.

              Do you recall Speargun, XKEYSCORE et al?

              Kim Dotcom?

              You don’t see any links here with corrupt individuals like James Clapper?

              No Assange is just guilty of rooting two women and supposedly he didn’t wear a condom, – and even that’s up for grabs isn’t it- he said / she said.

              To which you’d hardly think that so many nations went to all that trouble to extradite and charge him with extraneous add on’s…… seems a little banal, don’t you agree???

              Wow – maybe hes more popular than we ever thought… everybody wants him.

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 6:55 pm

                Extradition to the US is a different issue to the allegations he raped women. You might want to conflate assange’s issues and put the women on trial, but that’s just because you happen to like assange.

                Your commitment to justice is mercurial.

                • WILD KATIPO …
                  12 April 2019 at 7:12 pm

                  .. ‘ Your commitment to justice is mercurial’ …

                  So is yours apparently.

                  As is your perception of priority’s , historic precedents and general naivety. Picking on ‘ maybes’ and ‘ifs’ and ‘whatabouts’ when not even looking possibility’s squarely in the eye.

                  Go join Clapper. You’d make a good team , mate.

  33. Andre 33
    12 April 2019 at 12:12 pm

    Forget all that press freedom and human rights and legal nonsense. Let’s focus a moment on the most important question: what happened to that poor cat?

    Anyone have good info? There’s lots of conflicting reports, that it was taken to a shelter, that family have it, that friends have it …

    • gsays 33.1
      12 April 2019 at 7:15 pm

      Rumour has it a rich chap known as Morgan has taken care of it.

      Now that he he has time for other opportunities….

  34. Professor Longhair 34
    12 April 2019 at 12:26 pm

    Perjurers like James Clapper hate truth-tellers like Assange….

  35. cleangreen 35
    12 April 2019 at 12:46 pm

    Nick J.

    I am one who cares about our civilization and all who live in it, so am I left or right wing?

    Go back through my years of posting here and find out I am generally neither side but a free thinker on every subject so putting labels on us all is a negative.

    You are not offensive to me, far from it.

    But I want to show we are not all “tarred with the same brush”..

    • Nick J 35.1
      12 April 2019 at 12:53 pm

      Cleangreen, you might be both depending on the issue which would indicate that you are not ideologically blind but are thinking for yourself. That’s great, not so common.

      • cleangreen 35.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 2:27 pm

        Thanks Nick J,

        I have lived a life of seeking the truth first and listening afterwards.

        As a 23 year old Kiwi I had completed an apprenticeship in electricity and been drafted into “this man’s army in NZ. Then I worked on two separate power schemes at each end of NZ from Tongararo to Manapouri then left for Australia then onto Canada by 1968.

        I traveled alone to feel first hand the life of five continents Africa, Asia Europe the america’s through 27 countries, and Australia during my time and now at 75 reel my mind back every time I write about an issue so yes I think often.

        Thank you for your understanding.

    • Grant 35.2
      12 April 2019 at 3:06 pm

      Yeahbut ‘cording to TRP if you say you’re past the whole right wing / left wing thing then you are, by definition, Right Wing. Just pointing this out in case you missed it.

      https://thestandard.org.nz/assange-arrested/#comment-1606832

      • cleangreen 35.2.1
        12 April 2019 at 3:57 pm

        “To each there own” Grant. – It’s the story of life.

      • Grant 35.2.2
        12 April 2019 at 4:58 pm

        Attn: Lprent. The link I used above pointed to TRPs’ comment # 1606832 and worked when I tested it but doesn’t now.

        • Andre 35.2.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 6:07 pm

          That seems to happen to everybody. Until lprent decides it’s worth his time to fix it, embedding the link seems to work correctly.

          https://thestandard.org.nz/faq/comment-formatting/#linking

          edit: Aw shit, it’s done it to this link too. Looks like it loses the part of the address after a hash. Anyway, follow the bit about how to link cleanly to get to the instructions.

          • Grant 35.2.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 6:31 pm

            Thanks for that but after reading the bit about clean linking I’m not sure if it would solve the problem. Might have just changed the way the link looked but still pointed to the wrong location? Anyway I’m not very digi-tech savvy. Barely competent at the ‘copy here, paste there’ level and after that tend to get glassy eyed lol.

            • Andre 35.2.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 6:37 pm

              Here’s the exact same link as an embedded link.

              edit: yup, seems to work correctly now. It’s a bit of a pain to get all the quote marks and the space between the a and href and other symbols right, but it works in the end.

              • Grant …
                12 April 2019 at 6:44 pm

                Shakes head sadly. Wanders off to make ovaltine and shake fist at neighbourhood children playing on front lawn..

  36. greywarshark 36
    12 April 2019 at 2:25 pm

    He looks very old – pale, white haired, white beard. All th best to him, the scapegoat of the decade.

    • cleangreen 36.1
      12 April 2019 at 2:37 pm

      Greywarshark;

      Clapper should be really worried as he will be found right in the middle of the “bloodletting” when the full DOJ investigation comes out including the expanded investigation of *how, *who and *why the investigation on the “Trump/Russian conclusion” was ever called for.

    • Observer Tokoroa 36.2
      13 April 2019 at 10:50 am

      Crikey! scape goat of the decade

      What utter rubbish greywarshark ! He chose to run away from two of his appointments with the Police.

      Bedsides that, he took possessions of documents that do not belong to him.
      By normal people greywarshark, his actions are called Theft.

      Will you be assigning him to the under 70yr olds – in your strange euthanasia platform plans?

      Ask the Turkish women what he did to them Mr greywarshark. Then pontificate.

      Do you understand ?

  37. SPC 37
    12 April 2019 at 4:59 pm

    Julian doing 6 more months inside (to wikileak or not to wikileak)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7DgREshAk

    The Australian hero Assange

  38. Tammy 38
    12 April 2019 at 5:38 pm

    TRP is a disgrace to the Standard.

    The US government tries to silence whistle blowers like Assange, Manning and Snowden.

    TRP tries to silence dissidents like Bill.

    [Hi, Ed. Bye, Ed. TRP]

  39. SPC 39
    12 April 2019 at 5:40 pm

    “A person close to Wikileaks, who has been residing in Ecuador, was arrested this afternoon when he was preparing to travel to Japan,” Ecuador’s interior ministry tweeted late on Thursday. He has been detained simply for investigation purposes”

    Ola Bini, a Swedish software developer has lived in Ecuador for several years and has frequently travelled to the country’s London embassy where Assange had been staying.

    • WILD KATIPO 39.1
      12 April 2019 at 5:48 pm

      Right. So this is now about more than just Julian Assange and more about Wikileaks. -and by simple extrapolation , whistle blowers in general,… but of course, … the Woke Left don’t want to see that , – they just hate Trump.

      ———————————

      ‘ Daniel Ellsberg commenting on Assange – possibly going to be kept in isolation for the rest of his life – reminds me of The Man In the Iron Mask. Back to the dark ages with the USA. He says that the break with precedent in doing things against the First Amendment and the lack of respect for journalists and also for anyone seeking asylum affects anyone the world over seeking safety from an oppressor ‘.

      ———————————

      The Woke Left .

      Fascism in drag.

      [Adding ‘woke’ to the auto mod abuse list. You can still use it over Bomber’s place, though. TRP]

      • cleangreen 39.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 6:11 pm

        And it all ends with the song that said it all;

      • SPC 39.1.2
        12 April 2019 at 6:14 pm

        I’m left and liberal, and vote Green, so I suppose I’m woke left.

        Calling the woke left, fascism in drag, is the brain fart of old white men. It’s equally lazy and stupid. It’s of the call the left unAmerican school. Which is an irony as Snowden is one of their last patriots.

        Where we will agree is that the deep state of the capitalist global regime does not like being held accountable. There is the idea that as security is the calling of government those in security can act as an unelected perptetual regime unaccountable to the people themselves.

        Wikileaks provided a means for whistleblowers to bypass corporate media gatekeepers, and it is no surprise that the deep state has acted in concert with a crackdown on free speech on social media.

        • WILD KATIPO 39.1.2.1
          12 April 2019 at 6:43 pm

          Careful – you said the ‘W’ word.

          And BTW , bud- I voted party vote Green last election.

          Feel good now ?

          Yeah OK i’ll go along with you bud , – but don’t you EVER try that stereotyped cliche on again.

          • SPC 39.1.2.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 7:03 pm

            And you remember not to call people, both the awake left and neo-liberal. They are either one or the other.

            • WILD KATIPO 39.1.2.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 7:18 pm

              Or maybe they are the inverted left, the in-between left or even the so far right that they are left left. But its fair game to call right wingers Right Wing Nut Jobs , is it?

              RWNJ’S.

              How childish is this censoring getting.

              политкорректность means political correctness in Russian.

              The same sort of mind games they used to stifle dissent, prosecute those who opposed them and brain wash the populace.

              For your edification.

  40. Observer Tokoroa 40
    12 April 2019 at 6:45 pm

    About Knowledge and Assange

    According to normal people, Stealing other people’s Stuff is illegal.
    Stealing Hidden information from Sovereign States is hugely Illegal.

    Julian conned a lot of people into thinking he was a hero. But basically his stuff was no major revelation. What Nations do is what they Do. They don’t change much either.

    But Assange followers held their breath for wonderful information that was not ultimately very prickly.

    Assange will have to pay a huge price for his theft. But he cannot say he did much good with his efforts to get the world handed over to him.

    Australia, who is saddled with Assange, is not very impressed with him. Assange nevertheless thinks he is a lovely bunch of bananas.

    Warn your Daughters. He Fucks and Runs. Useful Knowledge.

    • KJT 40.1
      12 April 2019 at 6:48 pm

      You think that when the State murders people, they should be allowed to keep it secret?

    • SPC 40.2
      12 April 2019 at 7:06 pm

      Wikileaks certainly exposed the way the Democratic Party operated.

    • WILD KATIPO 40.3
      12 April 2019 at 7:08 pm

      Refer then to the interview between John Pilger and Julian Assange where he DESTROYS the DCP and the Clinton Foundation and what it was being used for.

      Arms for ISIS?

      For murdering more people?

      Think that wasn’t significant mate? , – What if it was your whanau?

      And so now you seem to be on the side of the Neo Cons, Clapper and the NSA perjury team, you really think those two Swedish women were all they said they were?- esp in light of the Snowden revelations ? Really ?? Don’t you ever stop to think it had more to do with Americas’ national security’ and revenge than Assange rooting two women and not using a condom?

      Did the funds handed over to the two women run out so they dropped charges?

      And so now you’re championing John Key , Banks and the rest in the shitty surveillance of Kim Dotcom ( and even more shittier treatment of him and his family and his ILLEGAL arrest) You’re telling me you champion John Key and his lies about mass surveillance , XKEYSCORE and operation Speargun?

      Really ??

      You’re saying you cant see an obvious modus operandi in all of this ?

      Really ??

      Are you one of the ‘ nothing to hide , no reason to fear ‘ 1ZB crowd ???

  41. Roger Wakefield 41
    12 April 2019 at 7:31 pm

    He looks a bit dodgy to me, that Assange. Sort of bloke that’d have Roger Stone for a mate.

  42. Observer Tokoroa 42
    12 April 2019 at 7:37 pm

    Wild Katipo

    Do you mind if I say that you cut your toes off if you say women don’t know what was done to them sexually.

    You may think women are useless and incapable of knowing the difference between a cough and a coffin.

    But you are making a fool of yourself. And I think you are way better than that.

    Increasingly women are demanding respect, whether men want to give it or not. Assange ran away from the girls he fucked. They will have the final say in that. You bet.

    I know nothing of The Clinton Foundation – and how many people it has slaughtered. Neither have I seen Blood pouring from Hillaray’s Axe. But my TV is just an ornery one.

    Unforuntaely, you have stretched the Snowden Condom from Russia to Sweden to the Americas. That’s a heck of a long way.

    I disagree with condoning the Fucking of two women without Consent and without Condom, Wild Man. You are a disgrace.

    And you know it !

  43. WILD KATIPO 43
    12 April 2019 at 8:15 pm

    Nah , I’m not making a fool of myself neither am I a disgrace.

    You say you know nothing of the Clinton Foundation – ye gads man !- I’ve provided what you need to know further on up.

    When you deal with vicious, deep state individuals they will use every underhanded , dirty trick that the general public do not wish to even entertain… because to do so would force them to admit there is something amiss in their democracy.

    We saw it all during the John Key reign.

    Most people don’t want to know the ins and outs because it causes social instability – and in the international markets if a govt is found to be corrupt – capital flight.

    Look, I’m going to run the vid again. Just so you grasp the fact that it is no small feat to pay off a couple of false witnesses to extradite , set up and entrap a thorn in a govts side. Work it out. The charges have been dropped. Were they set up to the task in light of the Snowden revelations?

    When America went full out to extradite Snowden? – Well they didn’t get him but they could set up Assange and just bide their time to get their hands on him.

    This has NOTHING TO DO with rape charges that don’t exist and have been dropped from Sweden, – but EVERYTHING to do about American deep state revenge.

    The Clapper mass surveillance perjury charges?

    You are talking about embarrassing some pretty powerful deep state individuals here. Movers and Shakers. And they don’t want the mirror shone back on them.

    I could give you screeds and pages after pages of historical precedents going back to before the time of Rome itself on how these characters operate. They are ruthless. They don’t care about you , your family or how many lives they waste as cannon fodder. Think of World War One and the millions killed because of the warring factions of the European monarchy’s.

    GROW UP !

    This is no game !!!

    Stop being so simplistic and gullible.

    Seriously.

    Now – ASK YOURSELF, – WHO stood to gain , HOW did they do it, and WHY.

    Then look at this cute little symbol.

    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    It really isn’t hard to work it out after that.

    Julian Assange: US knows Saudi and Qatari sponsor ISIS – YouTube

  44. WILD KATIPO 44
    12 April 2019 at 8:23 pm

    This is the sort of shit that takes many years to get to the perpetrators… just one small example of the murderous bastards that are out there. This is just a tiny example of what sort of total shitheads exist.

    Sometimes the investigations are rapid and the perps are found, – in more complicated and in depth inquiry’s it can take years. Think of Pike River FFS !!!

    How many years after the fact is THAT still dragging on?

    Photographer remembers My Lai Massacre – YouTube

  45. McFlock 45
    12 April 2019 at 8:34 pm

    This tweet pretty much breaks down why I don’t give a damn about Assange as a person any more. The repercussions of supposed allies suddenly breaking out the entire rape-culture toolbox (just because Assange did some good things / pissed off the yanks) has real impact on people’s daily lives.

    • WILD KATIPO 45.1
      12 April 2019 at 8:52 pm

      ^^^
      Learns nothing.

      Harps on about a supposed rape incident that has been dropped or that there is no real proof that it ever happened. Ignores geo political reasons for multiple country’s wanting to prosecute and even extradite for ‘national security’ reasons.

      Ignores the very real possibility of paid false witnesses.

      Ignores the very real possibility of entrapment.

      Firmly believes it is all about a rape that has not been proven to happen. Disregards obvious efforts to extradite because of disclosures that would embarrass the USA deep state. Ignores Snowden , ignores Clappers perjury charge, ignores the emails that were revealed to John Pilger by the accused.

      Yes, … its a hard and incredulous task to have to believe this posters view.

      But there we have it.

      • McFlock 45.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 9:03 pm

        Another fine example of rape culture, thanyou.

        Kavanaugh and Assange: different sides of society using the same rape-enabling tropes.

        • WILD KATIPO 45.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 9:14 pm

          Nice censorship , McFlock.

          We cant have any dissension in the ranks, can we.

          Oh no no no…

          • McFlock 45.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 9:19 pm

            Oh no, someone has a low opinion of you and said it! That’s censorship!

            Quickly, flee your oppressors – there’s a spare room going in the Ecuadorean embassy you can stay in.

            • WILD KATIPO 45.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 9:28 pm

              Sarcasm, McFlock ?

              Is this the best you can do?

              Playing for time hoping I’ll bite to derail the VERY pertinent and EMBARRASSING points raised?

              Anyone of us could have done the same. Your argument and false morality is obvious. You don’t give a damn about any alleged ‘rape victims’ in this case… oh no… you only are another Trump hater and see this as an opportunity to speel off you’re oblique attacks.

              You don’t give a damn about critical thinking or whats patently obvious to just about anybody outside your small circle, McFlock , – this is just an opportunity to hide behind the front of your fake morality for your own political ends.

              I cant use the ‘W’ Left word anymore because of the same sort of collegiate inhouse censorship… but I think that , you , I , and everybody else knows EXACTLY what I am saying.

              But we can say RWNJ aka Right Wing Nut Job… which is what you remind me off to be honest, you and your kind. Except a more insidious version who takes some sort of ‘ moral high ground; to state their case.

              Then fails because it is a false morality.

              You don’t give a damn about two Swedish women you’ve never met who could quite easily and most probably are paid plants for the purposes of entrapment.

              The very fact the cases have been long dropped should suggests your backing the wrong horse from the get go.

              The trails gone cold and that’s a red flag incident. And you know it.

              Keep pushing it though if it makes you feel morally superior. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Just try to engage your brain next time, OK ?

              You are an idiot , McFlock. Many have tried to be polite about it but there are limits.

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 10:26 pm

                most probably are paid plants for the purposes of entrapment

                lols you really can’t help yourself, can you.

                “W”… “woke”, maybe? Is that the word you dare not type?

            • The Al1en 45.1.1.1.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 10:40 pm

              “Quickly, flee your oppressors – there’s a spare room going in the Ecuadorean embassy you can stay in.”

              Though you’ll have to wipe Santa’s shite off the walls first.

        • WILD KATIPO 45.1.1.2
          12 April 2019 at 9:20 pm

          So here we go again , McFlock…

          ——————————————
          NICK J says:

          The usual ‘W’ zealots over at The Standard are damning Assange for unproven crimes against women. Seems he needs to become Tasmanian, change his gender on his birth certificate (recent law change), become black and Islamic and maybe then, just maybe he will become acceptable.

          As it is, like or dislike Assange, Manning and Snow(den ) they are really in the gun for speaking truth to power. It’s as if the Deep State after Watergate looked at journalists and said “never again”.

          ———————————————

          Now just why did Nick J feel to write that up , McFlock ,… what is it about THIS subject that gets all of you so riled up?

          So you choose to post some tweets from no one in particular that anybody of us know as opposed to using your critical thinking ability’s?

          Is the presentation of John Pilger and the Mai Lay massacre too hard to swallow because it drives home the point and negates your tenuous justifications for Assanges arrest and almost definite extradition to the US?

          • McFlock 45.1.1.2.1
            12 April 2019 at 9:33 pm

            I posted that tweet thread because I felt it described a large part of my position in a clear and logical manner.

            Do you agree with nick J’s first paragraph? Because it reads like a fucked up redneck to me.

            Assange has nothing to do with My Lai. The initial criminal proceedings had nothing to do with wikileaks. They were entirely about complaints made by two women, women you, pilger, and all the other minimisers choose to belittle, marginalise, and abuse. Just like the Republicans did for Kav’s accusers.

            Regardless of the political spectrum, it seems that women should only be believed if it’s somebody you don’t like. Nothing changes.

            • WILD KATIPO 45.1.1.2.1.1
              12 April 2019 at 10:07 pm

              McFlock , you are an idiot.

              How many times does that have to be said.

              A self serving , moronic herd mentality idiot of the supposed ‘far left’ with a small ‘ l’.

              Nothing you say makes any sense, and when you do speak , – you drag up the most obscure nobody’s that could be anybody including your own personal female friends as evidence – that no one else knows , – and use that to justify your self serving political views.

              You have no critical thinking.

              You have no ability to analyse.

              You plead emotionalism when the hard facts are against you.

              In short, you you are a coward hiding behind false morality which is in itself, only there to serve your political narrative.

              In case you’ve missed the boat, Trump has won the election , Any claims by the far left have been soundly refuted by the Mueller report, and to date?… the two Swedish women are / should be people of interest in regards to being paid plants of the American CIA and deep state on the global stage .

              • The Al1en …
                12 April 2019 at 10:49 pm

                “the two Swedish women are / should be people of interest in regards to being paid plants of the American CIA and deep state on the global stage .”

                Just, wow!

                Unlike David Cunliffe, I’m not sorry for being a man, but I am sorry for the shit some men say and do.

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 10:53 pm

                And you are showing exactly why men can rape women and have a pathetically small chance of ever being held to account for it.

              • Psycho Milt …
                12 April 2019 at 10:58 pm

                …the two Swedish women are / should be people of interest in regards to being paid plants of the American CIA and deep state on the global stage .

                Just how many examples of rape culture are you willing to dish up on one comments thread? Wouldn’t one have been plenty?

              • mauī …
                13 April 2019 at 12:08 am

                You’re onto it WK, at least someone is engaging their brain here and not getting caught up in lefty handwringing.

            • WILD KATIPO 45.1.1.2.1.2
              12 April 2019 at 11:09 pm

              Careful , I was censored from using the ‘W’ Left word… does ‘ fucked up redneck ‘ apply as well, or RWNJ???

              One standard for one group and another standard for the other lot.

              Seems to be the way this outfits likes to run.

              Now , back to YOU , …. McFlock,…

              Yes , Assange has nothing to do with Mai lay. But it is a historic example of corruption :

              A) With the military trying initially to cover it up from the press..

              B ) The fact that it is a type case for much larger acts of human potential for depravity .

              ——————————————————-

              Oh , and why , McFlock did you DELIBERATELY ignore the Pilger interview, huh ???

              ———————————————————

              Rather selective I might add.

              And who are YOU , McFlock ?- do you KNOW for definite WHO those two ‘Swedish women ‘ were , – that they were not actually plants to entrap Assange???

              Do you???

              Do you know them personally ? , – or would you not know them from a bar of soap if you tripped over them ???

              I suspect the latter.

              OR ARE YOU JUST ASSUMING AS USUAL ???

              Whats the motive for you McFlock?- because in getting at Assange you get at Trump???

              That it?

              ———————————————————-

              … ‘ They were entirely about complaints made by two women, women you, pilger, and all the other minimisers choose to belittle, marginalise, and abuse ‘…

              ———————————————————

              What a disingenuous way to label vast amounts of people to serve your own warped narrative, McFlock , – are you saying you are greater, more humanistic and brighter than John Plger now?

              Have you actually traveled to ANY war-zones and witnessed the blood and guts and sheer horror and depravity anywhere like that man has?

              You leave me flabbergasted McFlock, you really do.

              To suggest that your spindly , fetid , jaundiced view of morality is greater than a man who has devoted HIS WHOLE LIFE to exposing geo political and governmental corruption , – and consistently demonstrated throughout his long , long career his sheer humanity and investigative journalism powers,.. and yet here you are , McFlock claiming you know better than he does.

              And not only that – castigating the man for being a rape apologist to boot !

              I’m shocked.

              I’m amazed.

              Surely you should be head of the United Nations by this time!

              Move over Jacinda !- McFlock is on his way, – never mind Kate Hawkesby – don’t worry we have a stand in with McFlock !!!

              What an idiot you are, , McFlock.

              And you too , Psycho Milt.

              Great choice of name, BTW .

              Cant you see how ridiculous you both sound??

              Sober up.

              You’ll see clearly in the morning… one would hope.

              • McFlock …
                12 April 2019 at 11:41 pm

                My “motive” is simply to get a decent handle on what’s probably going on.

                So my inclination is to believe the women.
                When Assange supporters, including his legal team, started telling demonstrable lies about the situation, and started throwing all sorts of other things into the mix, or saying how much good he’s done, by that time the script was really familiar: exonerate him regardless of whether he actually did it.

                An interpretation that you keep confirming.

                • mauī …
                  13 April 2019 at 12:03 am

                  Trying to understand what’s going on through a rape culture lens is never going to work, and isn’t what this is about.

                  • McFlock …
                    13 April 2019 at 12:12 am

                    When people say their hero’s accusers are just inventing it for x reasons, it really is about rape culture.

                    • WILD KATIPO …
                      13 April 2019 at 1:18 am

                      Very droll, McFlock,… and as per usual, nonsensical and vacuous.

                      Just a bunch of supercilious words that add up to nothing in particular. As always with you.

                      I applaud your virtuousness.

                      Too bad it doesn’t match up with reality or your double standards.

                      Nice idealism though, like we all had when we were about 18.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 April 2019 at 2:05 am

                      lol careful, katipo – you’re getting awfully close to the moral code of Winston Churchill, there.

                      If idealism and virtue are what stops you believing that Assange should walk free because the complainants are “most probably” inventing allegations on behalf of the USA, then Wikileaks is so important that Assange is entitled to rape a couple of women every few years and not face trial for it.

                      Does he get coupons for the rapes he is allowed to commit, or is a tally kept elsewhere?

  46. SPC 46
    12 April 2019 at 10:05 pm

    The timing – Manning recently jailed for refusing to testify before an investigation into Wikileaks’ role in revealing the secret files, is pretty obvious.

    • WILD KATIPO 46.1
      12 April 2019 at 10:38 pm

      All that shows is a concerted effort – particularly by the Americans- , to shut Wikileaks down. If they could get hold of Snowden , they would. They nailed Manning and now Assange is the next prize catch.

      Morons like McFlock of course cant see this ,…

      Ecuador says man ‘close’ to Julian Assange arrested | News | Al Jazeera
      https://www.aljazeera.com/news/…/ecuador-man-close-julian-assange-arrested-190412…

      • McFlock 46.1.1
        12 April 2019 at 10:47 pm

        Actually, I’ve said several times over the years that Assange had just turned himself into a bargaining chip, to be redeemed when ecuador wants diplomatic points with someone like the US or UK.

        If he’d stayed in Sweden, or even not jumped bail, he’d be walking around free somewhere safer than USA’s closest ally.

        • WILD KATIPO 46.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 11:18 pm

          Not interested in anything you have to say anymore mate- you’ve proven yourself an idiot repeatedly. I’m not interested in your back tracking, your false morality or you ridiculous points of views designed to create vexatious nonsensical debates.

          Your an idiot, I’ve always maintained that , and today’s post has more than amply proven just that.

          • McFlock 46.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 11:56 pm

            *You’re an idiot

            • WILD KATIPO 46.1.1.1.1.1
              13 April 2019 at 1:09 am

              Yes that’s right, McFlock you ARE an idiot.

              Even to the point of being a grammar Nazi.

              Well done, you’ve past the first requirements of literary prowess.

              I didn’t realize having a mastery of the English language was a prerequisite of having an opinion on this site.

              You will go far , McFlock, of that I am convinced.

              Now,… about those oh so conveniently placed rape accusations you are fond of quoting…. got anything new to add?

              Or has the whole tenuous and anemic position of your logic become untenable under the microscope?

              • The Al1en …
                13 April 2019 at 1:15 am

                Go to bed, Rummy, you’re drunk 😆

                • WILD KATIPO …
                  13 April 2019 at 1:29 am

                  And you are supping on Lemon Tea?… I think I’ve more than demolished the sanctimonious false moralists here on several fronts. You dont like that , do you…

                  Why is that?

                  Are reality checks such a hard thing to endure?

                  Consider the points I’ve raised in comments 43 and examples 44… is this too much for you to handle at this late hour?

                  Perhaps it is YOU that needs to go to bed because you are drunk.

                  You , McFlock and the maui character seem to have a very close and working relationship with the two Swedish women who laid complaints…

                  Would you care to enlighten us all of your SUPERIOR knowledge of the situation and your intimate dealings with these women that lends you to be an authority on these matters?

                  I’m sure we would all be interested.

                  You could even shed much needed light on the whole sordid affair.

                  The world would applaud you all with such insights and enlightened perspectives.

                  Either that – or you could accept OCCAM’S RAZOR and shut your lying traps and finally , for once in your miserable lives , admit you were wrong and that you were really only pushing a selective political narrative, – and certainly NOT being the paragons of virtue that you claim yourselves to be.

              • McFlock …
                13 April 2019 at 1:54 am

                lol

                Oh, here’s something new: the Swedish prosecution authority is looking at re-filing the sexual assault case. Now that he’s able to be arrested.

                He might face justice after all.

  47. Nick J 47
    13 April 2019 at 7:31 am

    So McFlock and all of the other wokester Assange haters why not book your front row seats for the State Show trial now?

    You can relive the glorious Stalinist 1930s, because that is where your minds are at. Take away his belt so he has to hold his trousers up, make him look like a dirty little rapist. Then shoot him.

    Speaking truth to power disturbs you lot, because at heart you are intolerant authoritarians, you would rather throw your lot in with those who you purported to oppose than allow one person to oppose power. That’s really your gig, coercion and ideological purity. You will of course hide behind some other narrative, but really that’s just self delusion.

    Nuff said, you still disgust me, make me feel unclean. His blood your hands.

    • Psycho Milt 47.1
      13 April 2019 at 8:28 am

      Is there a particular level of rapeyness you believe a man should be allowed to get away with if he’s a hero of speaking truth to power, or is opposing power effectively an unlimited shield against prosecution?

      • Nick J 47.1.1
        13 April 2019 at 8:44 am

        What a crappy question, offensive too Milt? I actually believe in due process and innocent until proven otherwise. Got no problem with bringing charges either. To use presumed guilt as a starting position cheapens the seriousness of rape, and that is offensive to all victims. I can only treat that with foul scorn.

        • francesca 47.1.1.1
          13 April 2019 at 10:06 am

          Thank you Nick
          As someone who has experienced violent sexual assault, with all its terror , I’m irritated beyond belief to have that experience conflated to a torn condom scenario.
          Non Consensual sex is one thing… having someone plough on regardless with a torn condom,.. certainly that is bloody disrespectful and stupid and needs to be addressed
          Violent sexual assault is another, and Assange has not been accused of this.
          Pressing one’s erect member against anothers body doesn’t go near the threshold to my mind.
          The courts would be heaving etc etc
          The women in this have been just as much a pawn to geopolitics as Assange
          They could have had their day in court along with Assange years ago
          For one thing the Swedes could have assured Assange that the trial would not be a Trojan horse for extradition to one of the cruellest judicial systems in the western world, the US
          This was the one condition Assange asked for and was denied.
          The women wouldn’t have been left in limbo if this had been granted.
          For another , the Swedish authorities dillied and dallied about interrogating Assange at the Ecuador Embassy, even though they had no qualms or difficulties interviewing suspects in the UK in other cases
          Assange has been painted with the same brush applied to a violent sexual offender, believe me , the two do not compare .

          • Psycho Milt 47.1.1.1.1
            13 April 2019 at 10:42 am

            As someone who has experienced violent sexual assault, with all its terror , I’m irritated beyond belief to have that experience conflated to a torn condom scenario.

            Hence my question about what level of rapeyness is acceptable for heroes of speaking truth to power.

            Also: your thoughts on what Sweden’s laws regarding sexual assault should be aren’t particularly relevant outside your own head.

            For one thing the Swedes could have assured Assange that the trial would not be a Trojan horse for extradition…

            On what legal basis could the Swedish justice system guarantee against a possible future request by a third party?

            • KJT 47.1.1.1.1.1
              13 April 2019 at 11:26 am

              Why are so many people here fixated on Assuange being punished for rape, by extradition to the USA for being a whistleblower, exposing US atrocities?

              And seem so keen on conflating the two.

              He should be prosecuted, if guilty, for what happened in Sweden. Though it could be argued that seven years incarcerated in the embassy is already disproportionate punishment. Given the usual jail term for worse crimes.8

              He should NOT be punished, any more than Manning should be, for showing the truth about the things rogue politicians are doing.
              If we allow that, which journalists, that expose Government failings, are going to be next.

              Our State does not need any more encouragement, to punish journalists that expose their wrong doing. We can see that already, with Hagar and Bradbury.

              Seems completely straightforward to me.

              • Psycho Milt …
                13 April 2019 at 12:45 pm

                As far as I’m concerned, no probs if the Swedes complete their investigation and find there’s nothing worth prosecuting him for. However, he does need to face the charges and calling that a Stalinist show trial, or alleging the complainants are dupes of a conspiracy, or minimising the alleged crimes is textbook rape culture.

                …it could be argued that seven years incarcerated in the embassy is already disproportionate punishment.

                Given that he incarcerated himself in the embassy, that’s an argument unlikely to make much headway.

                Extradition to the USA is a separate matter. It’s clear that extradition should be rejected outright, but the UK has a Tory government so you can assume it will do the shittiest thing open to it, same as usual.

                • KJT …
                  13 April 2019 at 12:52 pm

                  Are you saying that, false accusations, never happens?

                  However, i think that should be tested in court, in Sweden.

                  Without the threat of extradition for the “crime” of, embarrassing war criminals.

                • KJT …
                  13 April 2019 at 2:00 pm

                  Note. The first prosecutor decided there was “no case to answer”. Which I think was wrong, by the way. I consider it should have gone to court, and both the women concerned, and Assuange, had justice served in a timely manner, without the politics.
                  The second prosecutors decision was obviously political, and had nothing to do with the merits of the case.

                • mauī …
                  13 April 2019 at 2:09 pm

                  “However, he does need to face the charges…”

                  Those would be the charges that don’t exist right? Or are you talking about allegations that were dropped after 7 years of investigation and interviews with Assange…. But, but, but! he has a case to answer!

          • KJT 47.1.1.1.2
            13 April 2019 at 12:20 pm

            Respect.

            That you can keep a sense of balance and proportion, after an experience like that, says a lot for your strength and character.

            I think I would be inclined to “execute them all”.

        • Psycho Milt 47.1.1.2
          13 April 2019 at 10:14 am

          I actually believe in due process…

          If that were the case, you wouldn’t be so offended by McFlock’s comments that Assange should face the Swedish charges against him, and wouldn’t be portraying that due process as some kind of Stalinist show trial.

          • Nick J 47.1.1.2.1
            13 April 2019 at 1:01 pm

            Milt, Not only are you ignorant you need to learn how to read and comprehend. I wrote I have no problem with Assange facing any rape charges…due process. You appear to have found him guilty. That demonstrates very clearly to me how dangerously dictatorial and authoritarian you are.

            • Psycho Milt 47.1.1.2.1.1
              13 April 2019 at 2:15 pm

              His guilt is for the Swedish justice system to decide. My issue is with people peddling rape culture tropes to support their hero.

          • mauī 47.1.1.2.2
            13 April 2019 at 1:57 pm

            There are Swedish charges against him now are there?

            Stop making shit up to suit your shallow narrative.

            • Psycho Milt 47.1.1.2.2.1
              13 April 2019 at 2:13 pm

              My bad, they are indeed merely allegations, not charges. Not that it makes much material difference to his arrest for breaching bail conditions.

              • McFlock …
                13 April 2019 at 4:07 pm

                Although if he’d been in the UK, he’d have been charged well before the second interview that he skipped out on. That was a big point in his extradition appeals.

      • te reo putake 47.1.2
        13 April 2019 at 10:42 am

        Talking of shields, Milt, I think it’s kinda ironic that Assange was rudely awakened yesterday to find he was fucked without protection.

        • Siobhan 47.1.2.1
          13 April 2019 at 11:11 am

          Well done TRP…maybe you could follow up that piece of lighthearted repartee with a few jokes about Assange getting raped in prison..that would just perfect.

        • Adrian Thornton 47.1.2.2
          13 April 2019 at 11:52 am

          TRP..you are completely out of order and are dragging the good name of The Standard into the gutter…well done, good job.

          • te reo putake 47.1.2.2.1
            13 April 2019 at 2:09 pm

            Yeah and rape apologists are cool in your world, huh?

            Like it or not, Assange is a typical right winger, chock full of his grand sense of self entitlement. That you align with his abuse rather than those he abused speaks volumes about you, Adrian.

            • Adrian Thornton 47.1.2.2.1.1
              13 April 2019 at 2:29 pm

              No TRP, that yet again you have swallowed the establishment narrative and then spew it out with such vitriol says volumes about you…although I already knew that about you long ago.

              That you really think this has anything to do with rape at all plainly shows that you are either extremely naive or extremely stupid…hopefully not both.

              And btw maybe it is you who should be taking a close look at you have aligned yourself with…

              • te reo putake …
                13 April 2019 at 2:38 pm

                I’m aligned with his victims. You, not so much …

                • Adrian Thornton …
                  13 April 2019 at 3:25 pm

                  Alleged victims.

                  Isn’t it strange that you go on and on about two alleged rape victims but rarely acknowledge that the information that Assange made public on Afghanistan and Iraq, shone a light on behalf of the tens thousands of victims of of those unlawful wars, helped at least some of them find a voice, where before there was none, ditto the Tibetan victims of Chinese repression, or the victims of the Kenyan police in 2008, or the 100,000+ victims of the 2006 toxic oil dumping on the Ivory Coast etc etc ..but no TRP can only understand the world through the lens of the establishment narrative and like a well trained dog ignore the mountain of good wiki has done…you really should apply for a job on The Guardian, the guard dog of status quo liberalism at all costs, it is obviously your spiritual home.

                  woof woof.

                  • McFlock …
                    13 April 2019 at 4:09 pm

                    Jeez, all that good work means he deserves to get away with, oh, half a dozen rapes and a common assault. Is that how that works?

                    • Adrian Thornton …
                      13 April 2019 at 4:45 pm

                      I think you will find that Assange was always willing to defend himself in Sweden, but only on the proviso that they wouldn’t allow his extradition to the US, which Sweden would not guarantee.

                      However that is beside the point, and as I have already said numerous times, but will say again especially for you McFlock, if you really believe this has anything to do with those rape allegations, then you are either extremely naive, or being willfully stupid.

                      If you expose the crimes of the most powerful country in the world along with their friends, then they will do whatever it takes to make an example of you…that is exactly how it works.

                      If you can’t or won’t see that obvious truth, then there is hardly any point to our continuing this conversation.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 April 2019 at 4:58 pm

                      If he were willing to defend himself, he wouldn’t have left after his lawyer was told of the second interview.

                      The US extradition is pretty much bullshit, I agree. But the arrest for bail jumping only happened because he jumped bail on extradition to Sweden. If he’d gone to Sweden he’d have more protections against extradition to the US than he does now.

                      But the main issue is that if someone does really good work for freedom, as wikileaks initially was, then should they face trial for sexual assault, or after a certain level should we assume that all accusers are pawns of the CIA?

            • Darien Fenton 47.1.2.2.1.2
              13 April 2019 at 3:00 pm

              + 1

  48. cleangreen 48
    13 April 2019 at 8:49 am

    100% Nick J well said.

    Another thing that worries me profusely is that another thing they anti-Assange brigade are trying still to hang on him for prosecution is is alleged sexual activity.

    Don’t get me wrong here; – as prudish; – as a much younger man, I was very active sexually with ladies when I was single, and I always have respected the opposite sex with gentleness and deep respect. Rape is a crime and must be stopped.

    Well what makes these ‘righteous ‘pure as the driven snow’ Assange haters so above the rest of us when every day we see leading examples of female actresses with low cut dresses and leverage that makes my eyes water, as that of a grown human, while being left in shock at those scenes of these exhibitionists of what are portrayed as loose women with displays of ‘very liberal active sex lives’.

    These often beautiful women are lauded as top examples of the glamorous movie and stage set in today’s world, – so why are they not been treated as ‘lacking in morals’ as Julian Assange has been seen as????

  49. cleangreen 49
    13 April 2019 at 9:06 am

    I think the anti- Assange brigade have now resorted to “discredit” the ‘accused’ in a softening up procedure much like we see lawyers often do in legal cases. Simple as that.

  50. Jenny - How to get there? 50
    13 April 2019 at 10:55 am

    I’m no legal expert, but being arrested for skipping bail for charges that have been dropped seems a lot like being arrested for resisting arrest.

  51. Observer Tokoroa 51
    13 April 2019 at 11:06 am

    Hi cleengreen

    It is unwise for you to imply that the two women (wikileak staff) were doing a mock up job of entrapment for the Sweedish bother boys.

    Girls are very aware of what men and boys put into their Vagina. The Police may have regarded it is not of much importance.

    However, as it it turns out the Justice department may take this case back to Court. Whatever Assange did – he certainly did not honour and respect the Girls. Assange ran – did not face up to his charges.

    Also he had to be forced into Custody in the UK.
    Where also di notwant to face charges (it seems)

    If Justice catches up with him Via the hundreds and hundreds of Turkish Women he exposed – he will still try and run away.

    Assange is dodgy. Chelsea who did the USA work for him is far more trustworthy and reliable.

  52. Jenny - How to get there? 52
    13 April 2019 at 11:15 am

    I’m no legal expert, but being arrested for skipping bail for charges that have been dropped, seems a lot like being arrested for resisting arrest.

    The definition of a Trumped up charge.

    We will harrass you, until we have some reason to arrest you, for something completely different you did that we don’t like.

    The judge in the hearing sounds to have let personal prejudice and subjective dislike
    toward Assange affect his ruling.

    It may be an unappealing personality trait, but when did Narcissism become a jailing offence?

  53. francesca 53
    13 April 2019 at 11:35 am

    I would have thought that any extradition request from the US would most definitely be politically motivated, and the Swedes if they had any balls whatsoever could have given a guarantee
    Why were they so dilatory about interviewing Assange at Scotland Yard, as offered ,or later the Embassy. If an arrest was the result, the UK police could enter and hand him over. Apparently thats a thing
    Fat lot of respect the Swedes gave to the women involved.Geopolitical considerations outweighed their legal rights.
    As far as your semantic contortions on “rapeyness” goes the effect of violence and injury on a person goes way beyond the pissed offness of a torn condom .To equate them disrespects the victims of sexual violence.
    And yes, I would like to see different categories.
    Violent sexual assault ..(rape with grievous bodily harm )
    Non consensual sex not involving violence…(Which would cover not pulling out after a condom has broken)
    Unprotected sex while knowingly carrying a contagious sexual disease

    And I’m not letting Assange off the hook, but I prefer to see fair trials, not subject to geopolitical considerations and the fear of extradition

  54. Darien Fenton 54
    13 April 2019 at 12:26 pm

    According to a comment on another so called left wing blog : “The usual woke zealots over at The Standard are damning Assange for unproven crimes against women. Seems he needs to become Tasmanian, change his gender on his birth certificate (recent law change), become black and Islamic and maybe then, just maybe he will become acceptable.”

    Sick.

    • Nick J 54.1
      13 April 2019 at 6:58 pm

      Yes, penned to get the attention and to illustrate the clear double standards prevalent in the woke Left. Think about it, think hard because this is the dangerous territory the woke Left cedes to the alt Right. And then some idiot with a gun builds it into his narrative as an “excuse”. Both sides using a victim oppressor narrative that turns blind eyes to reality because it doesn’t fit their narrative. That’s really sick.

      Too subtle? Actually blindingly obvious if you forget the theory and check the evidence.

  55. francesca 55
    13 April 2019 at 1:33 pm

    Hundreds of Turkish women Tokes?
    Wikileaks deny this…here’s the story
    Read carefully…or not if you wish to preserve your prejudices intact

    https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160725/11391635062/updated-wikileaks-leak-turkish-emails-reveals-private-details-raises-ethical-questions-not.shtml

  56. SPC 56
    13 April 2019 at 1:50 pm

    Timeline convergence

    1. some months ago the embassy began isolating Assange from the outside world.
    2. legal arrangments that enable Manning to be required to answer questions about wikileaks or go to jail are begun.
    3. the ICC prosecutor is looking at investigating the US for war crimes in Afghanistan and is threatened by Trump with consequences – he called the ICC “illegitimate” and said it would be met with a “swift and vigorous response” if it tried to prosecute citizens of the US or its allies.
    4. Assange loses asylum and is arrested
    5. the ICC decides not to prosecute the USA

    Explaining their unanimous decision, the three ICC pre-trial chamber judges said such an investigation “would not serve the interests of justice”.

    Amnesty said the refusal to investigate was a “shocking abandonment of victims” that would “weaken the court’s already questionable credibility”. Amnesty’s Biraj Patnaik said the decision would be seen as a “craven capitulation to Washington’s bullying”.

    The court investigates and brings to justice people responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, intervening when national authorities cannot or will not prosecute.

  57. Carrie Smith 57
    15 April 2019 at 10:14 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugHEXYMQ1uk
    Remember the work this man has done and should be free to continue to do.