Around 200 people turned out in the Melbourne rain to show solidarity for Julian Assange (1st July 2012) at a rally organized by Wikileaks Australian Citizens Alliance/ The crowd heard from a range of speakers including Greens MP Adam Bandt, SEP Melbourne by-election candidate Patrick O’Connor, Wikileaks co-founder Daniel Mathews, human rights lawyers Lizzie O’Shea and Blue King Brown lead singer Natalie Pa’apa’a. A live performance also was given by Rap News of “A News Hope”. Indigenous activist Robbie Thorpe also spoke.
Robbie Thorpe, Indigenous activist opened proceedings by highlighting that the struggle for Assange was the struggle for truth, the same struggle Australian Indigenous people were fighting as they struggled to overcome the lies upon which their dispossession has been made.
The importance of Daniel Mathews, one of the founders of Wikileaks, speaking was to remind that us that Wikileaks is an important journalistics venture and it is more than a one man outfit. Julian Assange is being targeted as an individual but it it is the work of Wikileaks in exposing the war crimes of the U.S. that is is the real target. Read “Wikileaks and history” speech here | ||
Natalie :Pa’apa’a from Blue King Brown spoke commented in her speech on how the struggle for global justice would continue as long as capitalism continued and the defence of Wikileaks was an important part of this struggle. She saw her involvement in this struggle as her responsibility as a citizen of earth.Watch speech here | ||
Human rights lawyer Lizzie O’Shea explained in her speech that anyone who doubted that the U.S. planned to put Assange on trail was a foold. She went on to discuss the appalling human rights record of the U.S. in terms of secret prisons, military trials and torture. Read speech here | ||
Despite technical difficulties Robert Forster and the Rap News team gave a live performance of the “A News Hope” which saw a face off between Rupert Murdoch as the Emperor from Star Wars versus the news rebel Julian Assange. Much to the relief of the crowd at the end of news bulletin Julian was teleported to Ecuador! Youtube version of News Hope | ||
Federal Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt from the Greens spoke stating that the Federal ALP Government needed to do more to protect the rights of Julian Assnge as an Australian citizen. Watch speech here | ||
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Brisbane #JA41 Assange Birthday Vigil
In another Assange solidarity action a small number of people gathered in Brisbane at a vigil marking Julian Assange's 41st birthday on July 3rd, 2012, corner Grey and Melbourne streets, South Brisbane station. It was on the same day the Australian Government announced another death of an Australian soldier in Afghanistan.