Indymedia UK, Assange and Rape Apologism
Glasgow Activist | 15.07.2011 12:26 | Gender | Indymedia
A short article on the censorship and rape apologism which appears to have pervaded Indymedia UK. Published on Indymedia Scotland.
Glasgow Activist
Comments
Hide the following 17 comments
this should be taken down
15.07.2011 13:50
NEXT.
trolldetector
Take it down
15.07.2011 14:09
Judge Dredd
It was taken down
15.07.2011 14:10
Information wants to be free you know.
Glasgow Activist
comment
15.07.2011 15:08
Well I suppose rape is rape even if it is an accident.
We need to make an example of this man, so others don't think that they can release government secrets..... er..er.. I mean rape defenceless women! ye that's it! That's what I mean.
anon
Ah, yes - "accidental rape"
15.07.2011 15:21
FFS! Rape apologism alive and well on IndymediaUK
Glasgow Activist
why
15.07.2011 15:32
why is it so hard for people to see that while someone can do good (or even great things) such as wikileaks, they can also rape and assault women.
the one does not contradict the other.
these women were also working on wikileaks, they did good work too. yet they are presumed liars when they call out their comrade for some deeply shitty behaviour.
i was raped by a fellow activist. i was not believed by fellow activists either. i know its hard, emotionally as well as rationally, to accept that "good" activist men can be selfish sexist swine, but really people get over it. this is not new, it's been happening to us women activists for as long as there has been activism.
rape survivor
Repeated because it's true:
15.07.2011 15:47
quoter
Why
15.07.2011 17:17
Just because it's another activist accusing him, it doesn't make it a proven fact.
Just because it's a woman accusing him, it doesn't make it a proven fact.
But because the word "rape" is highly emotive for some people it clouds rational judgment and puts the man in mortal danger.
It will be too late when he is found innocent in Sweden and sentenced to death in USA.
anonymous and free
@ Glasgow Activist
15.07.2011 17:35
15.07.2011 14:10
Then put back up once the UK Indymedia mods realised that they could not censor this the way that they had the other material.
Information wants to be free you know.
Glasgow Activist"
You do jump to a lot of conclusions - it hasn't been hidden
2011-07-15 12:26
2011-07-15 12:26
Pub. - Newswire Indymedia UK, Assange and Rape Apologism (482317)
by Glasgow Activist (english)
| edit | Comments (8)
admin shows that no changes have been made to the article.
Furthermore the comments are not 'deleted' they are hidden and readable.
As far as I know Assange has not been charged over the allegations,let alone convicted, and whilst I wouldn't have hidden your comments, I do think that unless you are privy to special information then you're in no more of a position than any of us to know what the case is.
Any more than you're in a position to declare us rape apologists without even having any idea of why the comments were hidden.
Did you bother to check the editorial guidelines?
Did you write to us and ask?
Or do you just have the powers of a super-judge and have no need to bother with inconveniences like evidence, a fair defence and a right to state your version of what happened and why?
The article above should be hidden - it is not news, it a complaint about moderation and the article you posted to Scotland will be picked up by the RSS in due course.
ftp
yesterday's moderation
15.07.2011 17:37
'His entire defence according to his lawyers, is that yes, he did act in a way which constitutes rape, but its not really rape and besides he's a good guy so lets let him off.'
Other comments hidden were those which directly responded to 'Glasgow' Activist' and subsequent responses to those comments and one which was clearly flamebait.
As the feature does not directly refer to the allegations against Assange and was written before this week's hearing, we are working on an addition to the feature to clarify the situation.
Comments about moderation decisions are not generally discussed here on the newswire - ideally, they should be raised via the moderation list at moderation_at_lists.indymedia.org.uk.
Hope this helps.
imcista
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/20/naomi_wolf_vs_jaclyn_friedman_a
15.07.2011 19:05
Read Gareth Perices' defense arguments in this ectraditon appeal case....all the mainstream media seems to be running with the prosecution arguments (yep, the same prosecutor who defended Pinochet when he was ensconsed in London).
Check out this debate between Naomi Wolf and Jaclyn Froedman from last December "Demoracy Now" on the bases of the accusations when the Swedish cops leaked the police report to the Guardian.
Excerpt of the show dealing with the debate
The British left has been played like a fiddle on isolating this dissident, Assange. The warmongers know how to humiliate and break Muslim prisoners and they know how to wedge the British left. They study both cultures and subcultures.
, then they wedge and break them
That's why they marketed the invasion of Afghanistan as a feminist war that would lead to the liberation of Afghani women.
If Assange loses this appeal, it will set a precedent...where you can be lifted and extradited without charge to any European jurisdiction.The lack of solidarity around this case reflects on the quality of the anti-war movement in Britain it is in very sad shape.
Statin' the obvious
Homepage:
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/20/naomi_wolf_vs_jaclyn_friedman_a
Talking out of your arse
16.07.2011 04:27
WRONG!
Two reasons:
1) The Swedish legal system does not take rape seriously. While the number of reported rapes has increased, still only a handful go to trial. In fact, the number of convictions is actually dropping.
2) Assange is not lucky to be going to Sweden. He has already suffered a trial by the Swedish media. This is the country that, only recently, allowed the CIA to pick up two innocent Egyptian refugees. Those responsible are connected to the prosecution in this case too.
"The messages that Indymedia are promoting is that some rape isn’t really rape, not if she was sleeping, not if it was just her being fussy about how she was penetrated, not if she “consented” while she was being raped."
Rape is rape if the victim says so. Have the two women claimed that Assange raped them? No. As far as we know, they do not want Assange to be tried for rape. As far as we know, they have not given the Swedish government consent to use their experiences to justify a politically motivated extradition.
If the Swedish authorities really took rape seriously, they would interview Assange as soon as possible, here in the UK (as happens frequently in other cases). They could then charge and extradite him as soon as possible, rather than drawing out what must be a harrowing experience for the victims.
Anon
Bingo!
16.07.2011 09:15
me
Power of definition
17.07.2011 15:14
When we talk about rape, in pretty much most cases, there is no way to prove what happened. There are only two people present ; one says it was rape, one says it wasn't. If you go for the "innocent until proven guilty" line, you are, in effect, letting the perpetrator off in most cases.
In the UK the entire judicial system is biased towards the perpetrator. In 2009 it was estimated that 95% cases or rape are not reported, and of those 5% of cases that are reported only 6.5% result in a conviction [1]. Why ? Because "we are innocent until proven guilty".
Well it's time to change things around : in case of doubt, we should give benefit of doubt to the victim/survivor, not to the perpetrator.
[1]
feminist ally
til proven guilty
17.07.2011 17:40
rape survivor
seriously
21.07.2011 12:06
that happened and that woman doesn't even know, as we were drugged up and as i told her it was alright, nothing had happened, she simply ignored it and forgot.
also, i was once accused of rape which didn't happen, as the sexual partner was heavily messed up on drugs and had fucked up psychotic episodes (she suffered from serious mental health affliction, with seriously fucked up medication) and simply accused me of something that did not take place. eventually i was exonerated, as it was realised that it was a false accusation.
on one hand i was raped and she never even understood it. and on the other i was accused of a rape that didn't even take place.
make of it what you will, but its true.
rape accusation survivor
false allegations of rape
20.07.2013 11:42
"False accusations account for only 5% of all reported cases."
Dianne Whitfield from Rape Crisis England & Wales
The fact that a so-called anarchist is prepared to demand that we find all men accused of rape guilty without any test of the evidence - is simply disgusting. If a so-called anarchist cannot see that this is the path to completely undermining any notion of justice, then they need to re-examine their own fucked up heads.
Why has Assange still not been charged after all this time? After all our anarchist 'friend' has already found him guilty beyond all doubt.
lynx