WikiLeaks

I didn't realise that the police had already been in the embassy

http://news.sky.com/story/974310/ass...top-witch-hunt

Originally Posted by Mick

Well, he's made his speech and stood on his public platform (or balcony) and basically urged the U.S to drop it's pursuit against Wikileaks.

He apologised to his family and Children, but hinted at being reunited with them 'soon'.

He didn't step outside the Embassy, instead used the balcony and was still in the realms of the Ecuadorian Embassy and untouchable.

And the two women he allegedly raped, where do they stand? Those who stood surety for his bail.Where do they stand?

If he had any real depth of character he would have gone back to Sweden voluntarily.I view him as a moral coward who has no right to pontificate about the transparency of governments when he is far from being an honest dealer himself.As I see it he is the sort who is inclined to run away from the results of his actions not some sort of freedom or human rights fighter.All he does is leave others to pick up the pieces.

[Tezcatlipoca]

He talked about how "a courageous Latin American nation took a stand for justice"...

I did not realise that giving political asylum to someone accused of rape and sexual assault, and who is wanted for extradition via a perfectly legal and properly issued European Arrest Warrant, was classed as taking a "stand for justice"...

A reasonable comment by one of the posters on the BBC news story....

The Assange argument re fears that Sweden might deport him to the USA does rather fall apart when you remember that he and his team also claimed that the UK would happily deport him if asked, yet he was more than happy to live here for the last couple of years while he fought his legal battles.

He only hid in the Embassy once the case was thrown out of court.

[Tezcatlipoca]

A quote from Assange...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19310335

As Wikileaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all our societies.

We must use this moment to articulate the choice that is before the government of the United States of America.

Will it return to and re-affirm the revolutionary values it was founded on?

Or will it lurch off the precipice, dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark?

"A dangerous and oppressive world in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution"?

Sounds more like Ecuador to me than the USA...

http://en.rsf.org/ecuador.html

http://www.hrw.org/americas/ecuador

The man is living in a twisted parallel universe where sinister men in black are waiting to kidnap and "disappear" people who speak out against the status quo. As are, I suspect, most of the small but noisy crowd that came to the embassy to worship at his feet this afternoon.

Mr Assange said Ecuador had taken a "stand for justice", adding: "I ask President Obama to do the right thing, the United States must renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks."

So if the President says he won't be extradited would he go back to Sweden and face the Swedish courts..Do I sense a possible way for the UK government to sort out the issue?






Nah! I don't think so.

Originally Posted by Chris

What a pile of self-serving guff. I stomached the first five minutes or so then had to switch off. Did he have anything at all to say about the substantive issue of rape allegations in Sweden and the perfectly transparent and legal extradition proceedings he's hiding from in the UK?

No ,not even mentioned ,he used the speech as a platform to demand the freedom of some "political" prisoners and suck up to the south americans ,oh and an apology to his family

full guff here

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/331095

Originally Posted by martyh

I didn't realise that the police had already been in the embassy

http://news.sky.com/story/974310/ass...top-witch-hunt

The Building has 'shared' ownership status or something so Police are allowed right in the Lobby and or corridors. But not the actual Embassy part itself, until of course Diplomatic status has been revoked from the Embassy and it no longer controlled by it's foreign counterpart.

Originally Posted by Chris

The man is living in a twisted parallel universe where sinister men in black are waiting to kidnap and "disappear" people who speak out against the status quo. As are, I suspect, most of the small but noisy crowd that came to the embassy to worship at his feet this afternoon.

It would have made a good money supermarket .com advert 'cos looking at him on that balcony i reckon he felt .....EPIC

The ego-stroking that was going on was quite sickening.

I foolishly waded into The Guardian's comments section to point out that the allegations against Assange would count as rape. I wish I hadn't bothered.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Yeah. I can imagine what it's like there...

I was taking part in the DS thread previously, but eventually gave up in disgust because of certain people's repeated insistance that what he has been accused of allegedly doing doesn't count as rape in the UK, or even count as any offence.

Originally Posted by Matt D

Yeah. I can imagine what it's like there...

I was taking part in the DS thread previously, but eventually gave up in disgust because of certain people's repeated insistance that what he has been accused of allegedly doing doesn't count as rape in the UK, or even count as any offence.

Yes that's what is annoying me. Lots of 'well if that's rape then we're all rapists!' stuff as well, slightly disconcerting....

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by martyh

from a balcony ,if he goes on british soil he gets arrested so a balcony is the only other option

Yes that's what I thought he'd do, either that or cut large chunks of their carpet up and stick them to his shoes...