Australian statement of support for Julian Assange to appear in NYT next week

[Violet_Crumble]

For any Australians who haven't signed this yet. This is from GetUp!

'Sarah Palin wants Julian Assange hunted as a terrorist, among a chorus of American politicians calling for the arrest - and even death - of the Australian chief of Wikileaks.

If our Government won't stand up for the rights of Australian citizens, let's do it ourselves.

GetUp members have donated to put a strong statement in a full page ad in The New York Times, so we need as many signatures as possible before the ad runs next week. Help get us to 75,000!

NB - To respect your privacy, we won't print your name, but only a tally of how many Australians signed the statement.

61,096 have joined this campaign - help us get to 75,000.'

And here's the statement that's going to appear in the NYT...

'Dear President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder:

We, as Australians, condemn calls for violence, including assassination, against Australian citizen and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, or for him to be labeled a terrorist, enemy combatant or be treated outside the ordinary course of justice in any way.

As Thomas Jefferson said, "information is the currency of democracy." Publishing leaked information in collaboration with major news outlets, as Wikileaks and Mr. Assange have done, is not a terrorist act.

Australia and the United States are the strongest of allies. Our soldiers serve side by side and we’ve experienced, and condemned, the consequences of terrorism together. To label Wikileaks a terrorist organisation is an insult to those Australians and Americans who have lost their lives to acts of terrorism and to terrorist forces.

If Wikileaks or their staff have broken international or national laws, let that case be heard in a just and fair court of law. At the moment, no such charges have been brought.

We are writing as Australians to say what our Government should have: all Australian citizens deserve to be free from persecution, threats of violence and detention without charge, especially from our friend and ally, the United States.

We call upon you to stand up for our shared democratic principles of the presumption of innocence and freedom of information.'

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/Wikileaks&id=1489

[EFerrari]

1. Well done.

:kick:

[gateley]

2. My good friend is heading to Australia on Sunday for 4 weeks (her husband

is Australian). I told her to tell them we're supporting Assange. It will be interesting to hear from her what their sentiments are.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. I hope she has a great time while she's here...

Good timing. Oprah and her gang of hysterical screamers will be gone by the time she gets here, I think. Judging by the photo below that was taken here in Canberra, there's some very strong and very pink coloured feeling in support of Assange....




I hang out at a local blog thingy when I'm not at DU and it's interesting to read the comments about Assange there. Keep in mind that many of them are very bored public servants (I think you guys call us federal workers or something) who are cantankerous and will disagree for the sake of it, and that the advice given that any of us with security clearances would risk losing them if we attend the rally is completely wrong....

http://the-riotact.com/julian-assange-protest-comes-to-canberra.html

*on edit - removed my comment about bad spelling, as that probably is the way 'yank' is spelt when it's plural...

[tavalon]

4. I think it's Yankees, but I think we can get the sentiment

[gateley]

5. She always does -- she loves Australia! She even had her wedding there. Plans

on moving there after she retires.

Her sister-in-law owns some "hot" restaurant or club in Sydney (or it used to be, don't know if it still is) and Bill Clinton went there. She had her pic taken with him and Susan told me she said there's some strong magnetism coming off of him - that you could just FEEL this was a powerful person. I was reminded of that today when I saw the Obama/Clinton press conference. Did you happen to see it?

I enjoyed reading the blog - and love the pic!

:hi:

[Violet_Crumble]

11. I know what yr friend means about Bill Clinton...

Back when I used to work at Dept of Foreign Affairs & Trade, they had black and white photos of world leaders from their trips to Australia, and there was one of Bill Clinton on a yacht on Sydney Harbour and it's about the only photo I'd seen of him where his hair was messy and he looked so relaxed...

No, I didn't see the press conference, but wish I had :)

[suffragette]

6. Good job

:yourock:

[Michigan-Arizona]

7. Thank you

Will send this on to all my aussie relative's in hope's of them signing on. My mother was born & raised in Melbourne & came to the USA as a war bride.

[Violet_Crumble]

14. Thanks for sending it on! n/t

[hlthe2b]

8. I wonder how many Aussie DUers we have....

I hope they all sign...

[Violet_Crumble]

12. Between 15-20. If you count Kiwis, it'd be between 16-21

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing there's a fair few lurkers who never post, so to any of them...go and add yr name to that letter now!

I went and stuck the link to GetUp! on my facebook page and nagged all my family and friends to add their names to it...

[Petrushka]

9. More from down-under --->

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41914.html

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Good on ya', Mates.

[laughingliberal]

13. Looks like Australians are seeing through the rhetoric of their government. Good.

I hope more Americans are, too.

K&R