Previous post
Next post
Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange has been arrested after seven years of “living” in the Ecuadoran Embassy. An arrest warrant was originally issued for Assange for allegations of rape and sexual assault which he denies. The President of Ecuador withdrew his asylum for repeated violations of international conventions.
*****Updates*****
According to the UK Guardian:
The Metropolitan police said: “He has been taken into custody at a central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster magistrates court as soon as is possible.
“The MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] had a duty to execute the warrant, on behalf of Westminster magistrates court, and was invited into the embassy by the ambassador, following the Ecuadorian government’s withdrawal of asylum.”
Assange was shouting and gesticulating as he was carried out of the embassy in handcuffs by seven men and put into a waiting Met police van, video footage showed. He appeared to be carrying a book.
Yes, the MPS was invited in to arrest Assange:
And, yes, there is videotape:
That was so yummy delicious. Mr. Assange looks like Hell. I think we can see what the Ecuadoran President meant when he said:
Ecuador’s president, Lenín Moreno, said on Twitter: “In a sovereign decision, Ecuador withdrew the asylum status to Julian Assange after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols.”
“Daily-life protocols” which might involve bathing and shaving, maybe?
Julian Assange could give acting lessons to his “vegan with benefits” girlfriend Pamela Anderson. Notice how he was being carried out, facing the camera and with his face on a book, also facing the camera. Can you say “dramatically staged”? Sure you can. Of course, he was shouting “You can resist.”.
The Swedish government may want Julian Assange on sexual assault and rape charges. The United States government wants the Wikileaks founder on the release of documents. From the New York Times:
The United States Justice Department has charged Mr. Assange, 47, in relation to the publication of classified documents, a fact that prosecutors accidentally made public in November.
You know, the documents Assange got from Bradley (Chelsea) Manning. Manning is currently being held in solitary confinement for his own protection in a Virginia jail. If Assange gets extradited to the U.S., they could end up in the same facility. The mind reels.
Pamela Anderson has not yet weighed in on her beau’s arrest.
This story will be updated as soon as more juicy details are known.
And, here we are:
1. Edward Snowden, NSA leaker and fugitive from justice who is currently residing in Russia:
“Images of Ecuador’s ambassador inviting the UK’s secret police into the embassy to drag a publisher of — like it or not — award-winning journalism out of the building are going to end up in the history books,” Snowden said on Twitter Thursday morning. “Assange’s critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom.”
And:
2. Pamela Anderson, actress and friend of Assange, is miffed, according to Page Six of the New York Post:
The “Baywatch” star said she was “in shock” after watching video of the Wikileaks founder being dragged out of the Ecuador embassy in London.
“He looks very bad. How could you Equador ? (Because he exposed you),” Anderson tweeted. “How could you UK. ? Of course – you are America’s bitch and you need a diversion from your idiotic Brexit bulls–t.”
She railed in another tweet, “And the USA ? This toxic coward of a President He needs to rally his base? – You are selfish and cruel. You have taken the entire world backwards. You are devils and liars and thieves. And you will ROTT And WE WILL RISE.”
Well, okay then. Love and kisses to Julian Assange from Pamela Anderson. Do you think she meant “ROT” and not “ROTT”? Just kidding.
3. The U.S. has charged Julian Assange with conspiracy to commit computer hacking
Photo credit: David G. Silvers/Flickr.com/Creative Commons 2.0/cropped
Jodi Giddings says: I dunno. I’m not applauding this. Because it’s ok to compromise classified information if your name is Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or James Comey…or if you’re trangendered and Barack Obama thinks you’ve done enough time in prison for treason.
Jodi Giddings says: PS: The journalists applauding this arrest are the very same people who screech 24/7 about Trump silencing the media.
Nicki says: I will respectfully disagree here. Assange is NOT a journalist. Not in the least bit. He took stolen classified information provided to him by that piece of human garbage Manning, he published it in its entirety without considering the safety of those he exposed as either working with coalition forces in Afghanistan or sharing information with US diplomats, and thought that the tiny number of questionable reports he released justified the full release of the 720,000 documents.
He didn’t report anything. He published STOLEN CLASSIFIED information. This is not a media issue. The resources and time used to assess the damage he and Manning caused and the damage done to our relationships with our allies during the days of ISAF is incalculable. Fuck that guy. This isn’t even a comparable issue, and whataboutism has nothing to do with Clinton, who should also be behind bars.
Period.
GWB says: The problem here isn’t just that he published stolen US classified information (the press has done that). It’s that he incited lawbreaking by publishing any information he got, no matter how obtained, and often paying for it (and definitely asking people to provide it to his organization).
Nicki says: True too. In this case, he actually PLOTTED with Manning to get that information. No matter how you slice it, he’s a piece of shit and I hope he winds up at the bottom of a fucking river somewhere. Both of them.
Kate says: Assange is a low rent anarchist who needs to rot in a cold dark cave, smearing poop.
Maybe the government will make its case, but I lean toward transparency. The government has too much power to withhold information from the public. I don’t expect them to show any leniency for someone who threatened that.
GWB says: I lean that way, too. But a bunch of the stuff he has published should actually be secret.
I think the best way to increase transparency/reduce classified information in gov’t is to reduce the scope of its actions. Reduce federal law, federal regulations, foreign policy, interstate commerce, etc. back to a constitutional level, and the transparency will take care of itself, imo.
Nicki says: I’m usually on the side of more transparency as well. But that said… I spent six months of my life examining the effects of what Manning and Assmange have done. I was on the original task force, and this is NOT about government transparency. The vast majority of what they stole and released had little to do with that, and actually NEEDED to be classified. So FUCK NO.
Agreed. Assange is an anarchist.
However, he might as well be called a “journalist” these days. The only difference, really, is that he aims to take down all forms of government – while those at CNN, NYT, WaPo, etc. only aim to take down Western democracies.
Jim says: Hopefully he will get to share a cell with that traitor Chelsea Manning bloke in the near future.
Scott says: Assange nees to be interrogated, then put under the prison.. and Pamela Anderson needs to realize that she only has two assets on display, and that nether is her brain!
12 Comments