On March 2, 2011, following an article by Michelle Grattan from TheAge.com.au following Julia Gillard's remarks about Wikileaks as "ill made", Christine Assange responded to the Australian Prime Minister.
Julia Gillard’s ignorance and arrogance regarding Wikileaks and the subsequent Swedish case involving my son Julian, knows no limits.
Not content with ignoring the plethora of growing concern voiced by prominent Australian and International lawyers, writers, human rights organisations, academics, ex-diplomats, etc., she now dismisses the entire Australian media as ‘myth makers’.
There has been a lot of that going around lately hasn’t there, Julia?
The pesky myth about the promise you made not to introduce the Carbon Tax. Then there is the myth that you stated that Julian’s work was ‘illegal’ ahead of an AFP investigation, which subsequently found he had broken no Australian Law.
And then there is that myth about you saying he is ‘grossly irresponsible’ and implying that he is immoral, and then repeating it again on February 2, 2011, the day he was awarded the Gold Medal for ‘Peace with Justice’. And then there is that nasty little myth about a Backbench revolt because they believe the above myth.
Damn Journalists! Perhaps when you see your buddy, Barack, this week, you could put your heads together and work out a way to lock them all up.
Damn Journalists! Perhaps when you see your buddy, Barack, this week, you could put your heads together and work out a way to lock them all up.
You say that your personal view of ‘that person’ (Julian) does not affect the Government assistance given to him. Are you serious? A Prime Minister publicity accuses one of her own citizens as having committed an ‘illegal act’, and impunes his character ahead of the most publicized case in the world this decade, and you think it has no effect!!
In the wake of your ongoing character assassination of Julian in the media, your government’s offer of ‘normal consular assistance’ is about as useful as a floaty in a tsunami. You have cast aside the presumption of innocence and prejudiced his right to a fair trial. You have been complicit in the denial of natural justice he is currently experiencing in a foreign country. Now the Swedish Prime Minister is taking your lead and vilifying him through the Swedish media. You have perverted the course of justice and continue to do so.
You condemn the media for ‘appalling’ confusion in the comparing of Wikileaks disclosures to those of whistleblowers such as Watergate’s, Daniel Ellsberg. I would call appalling the US cries to kidnap and murder my son. I would call appalling the continual abuse of the legal process in the Swedish case. The Australian public and some of your own backbenchers are appalled at your silence.
While you are in the US, why don’t you drop in on Daniel Ellsberg and ask him just what he thinks about Julian and his work? He is on the public record as stating that there is no difference between them. He supports the Australian ‘media’s myth’. No problem, you can dismiss him too.
In the wake of your ongoing character assassination of Julian in the media, your government’s offer of ‘normal consular assistance’ is about as useful as a floaty in a tsunami. You have cast aside the presumption of innocence and prejudiced his right to a fair trial. You have been complicit in the denial of natural justice he is currently experiencing in a foreign country. Now the Swedish Prime Minister is taking your lead and vilifying him through the Swedish media. You have perverted the course of justice and continue to do so.
You condemn the media for ‘appalling’ confusion in the comparing of Wikileaks disclosures to those of whistleblowers such as Watergate’s, Daniel Ellsberg. I would call appalling the US cries to kidnap and murder my son. I would call appalling the continual abuse of the legal process in the Swedish case. The Australian public and some of your own backbenchers are appalled at your silence.
While you are in the US, why don’t you drop in on Daniel Ellsberg and ask him just what he thinks about Julian and his work? He is on the public record as stating that there is no difference between them. He supports the Australian ‘media’s myth’. No problem, you can dismiss him too.
You warn us that what is reported in the US Diplomatic Cables should not be assumed as fact. What are you trying to say Julia - that Wikileaks has made up the cable that exposed Mark Arbib as being in bed with the US for the past four years, or the one that reveals for 12 months you both plotted the political coup of an elected Prime Minister. Is that a myth too?
Never mind, we’re comforted by you telling us that you’re going to be a good girl while you’re away from home and will not do anything ‘inappropriate’ like raising Wikileaks or questioning the US legal system. We know you won’t raise any of that other ‘inappropriate’ stuff like threats of illegal renditions of your citizens, sealed subpoenas on Twitter and other social networking sites enabling the US to secretly spy on Aussies, or the increasing pressure on Bradley Manning to crack and falsely implicate one of your own citizens in a crime.
You will be the perfect guest at the White House dinner party, won’t you? Just there to keep your mouth shut and pickup the latest US administration sound bite.
We knew we could count on you to keep it nice, Julia.
Now there’s a myth for you.
Christine Assange
We knew we could count on you to keep it nice, Julia.
Now there’s a myth for you.
Christine Assange
You can also view or download Christine Assange's full response to Australian Prime Minister Gillard here: https://sites.google.com/site/bris4wikileaks/resources/Christine-Assange_Julia-Gillard-Response-March-2-2011.pdf
The original TheAge.com.au Article by Michelle Grattan can be viewed here:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/assanges-mother-hits-out-at-gillard-20110306-1bjk3.html
The original TheAge.com.au Article by Michelle Grattan can be viewed here:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/assanges-mother-hits-out-at-gillard-20110306-1bjk3.html
