HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

Liverpool Indymedia

Aussies go to High Commission to Demand Defence of Julian Assange's civil rights

LCW | 06.02.2011 15:33 | Anti-militarism | Liverpool | World

Aussies go to High Commission to Demand Defence of Julian Assange's civil rights (4 Feb)







Story to be published shortly....

LCW

Additions

Australian London HIgh Commission action report

06.02.2011 17:16

Solidarity activists form Adelaide, Aotearoa/NZ, Brisbane, Chicago, London, and Melbourne returned to the Australian High Commission on the Strand on Friday night (F4) to demand that they lift their game and advocate for the civil rights of Australian dissident and founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange. The Australian government continues to service the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and co-operate in the persecution of anti-war dissidents. Assange faces an extradition hearing in London this Monday and Tuesday (Feb 7 & 8). He was initially denied bail after self surrendering in Kentish Town poice station in December. Opposition to bail came from the British government, in sevise to the Americans, rather than the Swedes who seek his extradition. Assange is presently electronically tagged and living under a curfew.

Interaction with armed embassy security police and two others were fine.


Those gathered set up a shrine to........

- Iraqi war dead, (Lancett Report states 1 million have been killed, mosty women and children)

- Bradley Manning  http://www.bradleymanning.org/ presently being tortured in Quatico Marine Base in Virginia, accused of providing WikiLeaks with the colateral murder video  http://www.collateralmurder.com/ of a U.S. helicopter gunship massacre of unarmed Reuters journalists, Iraqi civilian adults and children.

- Shaker Aamer, www.cageprisoners.com a long term London resident who has spent close to seven years in Guantanamo. Shaker's wife and four children, the youngest born after Shaker was sold for a $5,000 bounty by Afghan warlords in 2001 to the U.S. military

- Julian Assange facing an extradition in London on Monday Feb. 7th and Tuesday Feb. 8th at Woolwich Courts (conveniently attached to Categoray A Bemars Prison) and threats from the U.S. to his life and lifelong liberty in relation to the work of WikiLeaks.

French and English camera crews covered the event.


Speakers refected on.............

- Catholic Worker Scott Albrecht, a former member of the U.S. Air Force, spoke about Bradley Manning and on his own recruitment into the U.S. military, the tactics of cultivation and seducement employed on young working class people by miltary recruiters.

- Fr. Martin Newel reflected on London Catholic Worker attempts to support Bradley Manning and his family in Wales. Bradley's mother who has suffered a series of strokes recently was visited by the F.B.I. in her Welsh village. Amnesty International have finally taken up the case 7 months into prison conditions that can only be described as torture. It is the U.S. government's hope to break Manning to deliver Assange.

- Dr. Ray who works with the poor in Africa spoke of the theft of the world's resources form people in need carried out daily by the world's military.

- Ciaron O'Reilly, a former anti-war prisoner of the United States, spoke of coming from the police state of Queenland, Australia where Julian Assange was raised and where civil liberties were denied on a daily basis. He described the Queensland state government's attack on free speech as Julian was growing up in the lat '70's/early'80's and the 4,000 arrests of peope who in the face of fear continued to leafet, gather illegally, march, speak out, picket and vigil. He observed how this repression would have been a backdrop for Julian's passion for free speech. He also reflected on the endurance of Bradley Manning (5'2, 105 lbs.) and the failure of the anti-war organisations, anarchist scene, church communities and human rights NGO's and movements to support these three men - Shaker, Bradley, Julian who may spend the rest of their years in jail for opposition to these wars on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

John from Aotearoa provided unaccompanied song throughout the gathering. A number of foks gathered declared they would make their way to Woolwich Court/ Belmarsh Prison on Monday and Tuesday to stand against the extradition of Julian Asange, demand the freedom of Shaker Aamer and Bradley Manning and an end to the war on the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Report
mail e-mail: releasejulianassange AT gmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.collateralmurder.com/


Comments

Hide the following comment

BACKGROUND previous action at High Commission, Assange confrints OZ PM, Letter

06.02.2011 17:59

*YOUTUBE (5 mins 45 secs) previous demonstration at Australian embassy in December when Julian *Assange was imprisoned in HMP Wandsworth
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SnhnCvuwRc

**CHANNEL 7/ AUSTRALIA VIDEO: 'Assange slams Australian Prime Minister Gillard's 'unacceptable treatment'
Mike Duffy, 7News with Yahoo!7 February 1, 2011,
 http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/8756913/7news-exclus...ment/


Feb 6 & 7 - International Solidarity Vigils at UK, US Australian embassies/ cosnulates and sites of significance
 http://www.indymedia.ie/article/98793

More information phone 079 392 90576
(outside uk) + 44 79 392 90576

LETTER TO THE AUSTRALAN HIGH COMMISSIONER TO BE HAND DELIVERED ON FRIDAY DEC. 4th.
*Please forward this to any Australian based in the U.K. - for consideration to add their signature. Return to

13 December 2010

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

Australia House

Strand,

London WC2B 4LA

Dear Mr Dauth,

We Australians, here in London and from further afield, ask you to convey to our urgent and emphatic request to the Gillard Government to do its utmost to defend Julian Assange’s human rights and the free and lawful operation of Wikileaks.

Australians around the world watch with grave concern as an Australian citizen is vilified by his own Prime Minister and Attorney-General, experienced lawyers whose words display a shocking disregard for the human right to presumption of innocence, and risk prejudicing any legal proceedings Mr Assange may face.

We welcome the Government’s subsequent assurance that Mr Assange’s passport will not be cancelled and that your embassy will afford him “all appropriate consular assistance.”

We learn from an Australian Government website[1] that the High Commission has a duty to ensure Mr Assange “is treated no less favourably than local citizens detained for similar offences.” UK citizens, of course, enjoy the protection of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantee their right to freedom of expression, presumption of innocence and fair trial. That is, UK citizens enjoy a significantly higher degree of legal protection than do Australians, and the Australian High Commission must ensure Mr Assange’s treatment by UK authorities accords with those more stringent standards.

May we remind all consular staff and the Australian Government that Mr Assange “has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”[2] and to do so “without interference by public authority.”[3]

Further, Mr Assange has a human and legal right to be “presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law” and to be given a fair trial.[4]

As you must know well, it is unlawful under s104 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 for anyone intentionally or recklessly to cause death or serious harm[5] to an Australian citizen outside Australia. And yet the Australian Government has voiced no objection to the death threats levelled against Mr Assange by high-profile US citizens and others.[6]

In light of the above, we, the undersigned:

1. Ask that Ms Gillard publicly and unequivocally withdraw her statement alleging illegal conduct on Mr Assange’s part, explain to the public why it was wrong for her to say that, and to apologise to Mr Assange.

2. Call on the Gillard Government robustly to defend Mr Assange both at home and abroad and to respect and defend his right to receive information and impart information freely, without interference by any public authority.

3. Ask the Attorney-General to initiate investigations into threats of violence against Mr Assange by persons in the United States and Canada, including Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, in violation of Australian law.

4. Urge the Gillard Government to oppose strenuously any application to have Mr Assange extradited to the United States, because it is unlikely he would receive a fair trial there.

We thank you for your attention to these matters of fundamental importance to a free and democratic society.

Sincerely, your compatriots,

John Pilger (from Sydney) www.johnpilger.com
Peter Tatchell (from Melbourne) London-based human rights activist www.petertatchell.net
Michael Dutton (from Brisbane) Professor of Politics, Goldsmiths University of London
Deborah Kessler (from Brisbane) concerned citizen
Ciaron O’Reilly (from Brisbane) London Catholic Worker/Ploughshares
www.londoncatholicworker.org
Eden Boucher (from Adelaide) musician ‘Lovers Electric’  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovers_Electric
David Turley (Adelaide) musician ‘Lovers Electric’
Sharon Turley (from Adelaide) classical musician
David Warburton (from Adelaide) Coffee Brewster
Saul Newman, teaches political theory at Goldsmiths, University of London.
John Hutnyk (from Melbourne) Prof. of Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths University of London
Peter Thomas (from Rockhampton, Queensland)
teaches History of Political Thought at Brunel University, London
Maria Albrecht (from Melbourne) Catholic Worker Farmhouse
www.thecatholicworkerfarm.org

Olivia Ball (Melbourne)  http://rightsbase.org

Eric Snowball (from Sydney) social worker
Rik Lydon (from Sydney) sound engineer

Mary Kelly (Brisbane) trade unionist

Dr Linnell Secomb (from Melbourne) Head of Department of Social, Political and Cultural
Studies, University of Greenwich

Errin Collins, (from Lithgow, Australia) Occupational Therapist
Nick Gill (from Perth, Australia) Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Bristol

[1] ‘Consular services: Arrested, detained and jailed overseas’ ( http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/faq.html)

[2] Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (emphasis added). The same is stated more fully in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Australia is a party, and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which also applies to Mr Assange.

[3] ECHR, Art. 10(1)

[4] ECHR, Art. 6 and elsewhere

[5] Including “harm to a person’s mental health (whether temporary or permanent) [including] psychological harm to the person;” and conduct that “endangers, or is likely to endanger, a person’s life” (s146)

[6] See  http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41914.html

Background
- Homepage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SnhnCvuwRc


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

[navigation.actions2016]

[navigation.actions2015]

[navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

Actions 2013

G8 2013

Actions 2012

Workfare

Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech

Publish Your News


Temporary Scroogle search

-->