Julian Assange is a prick.

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I can't stand the bloke... and it is good to see that others feel the same way...

I also massively disagreed with Wikileaks... I don't care if it was corperate stuff, but government stuff is kept out of the public eye for a reason... a lot of stuff that was on the Wikileaks site gave a lot of details about troops and capabilities that could put lives in danger...

Any one who puts people who he hasn't mets lives in danger, for his own agenda, deserves all he can get...

Also, he has the right to a fair trial before anything can happen... if he has been accused of something then he should face the music and go to court... He is now skipping bail, which is ilegal, and is proven, so needs to pay the price!

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime!

Oh right because America is the ONLY country with spy networks.

China, Russia, and practically everyone else knows everything Assange leaked. Every. Damn. Thing.

If the information was thrown around like it wasn't important, found, and leaked, you bet other countries would already know.

If you don't hide it, its obviously not a secret.

I am not from the US, I am British, and I never for once presumed that the US was the only one with Inteligence Agencies. When did I imply that...?
And yes, they were secrets! Secret information is at that level because of the people who could get hurt if they were widely known... the reason they were leaked is because of individuals playing the 'vigilante' card from the inside, downloading the docs and sending them on!

 

[Saulkar]

I can see I am the unpopular one when I say that I like what Julian Assange has done and would not doubt that there are people politically motivated to do him in. While I do not know him, I feel that prick or not he deserves to keep doing what he is doing. No one is perfect, no one is devoid of hypocrisy or dickishness so I do not understand why this makes him any less sympathetic. We all have darkness in us, it just tends to spill into one corner for some people.

Additionally several anomalies over the course of these international legal shenanigans make me question how legit this all is in the end. I might not be getting the whole story but from what it seems is that both Julian and the Ecuadorian embassy offered to allow Swedish police to question him on the premise but they repeatedly refused. In the end I am going to play it by ear and hope for the best.

One of the major problems is that all News and Journalistic outlets are completely polarised over this whole issue and thus getting a clear picture of what is going on is seemingly impossible. One side blindly supports while another blindly condemns him. Urgh!

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

No he is not. The case of the supposed sexual assault was dropped because of lack of evidence against him. I'm also fairly sure that one of the women involved came out and said she was railroaded by police. Swedish police also repeatedly refused to question him while he was in the UK.

As for Sweden saying they won't extradite him, they've illegally helped the CIA with renditions [http://www.hrw.org/news/2006/11/09/sweden-violated-torture-ban-cia-rendition] before, why stop now?

In addition to this, the Australian Federal Police commission has previously stated that he hasn't broken any Australian laws.

Assange fears for his life right now, many US public figures have threatened him with assassinations and death penalties. He's only doing what any sane person would do. To think that the US wouldn't interfere with international judiciary processes to get someone who they see as a "traitor" is just naive.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

I can't stand the bloke... and it is good to see that others feel the same way...

I also massively disagreed with Wikileaks... I don't care if it was corperate stuff, but government stuff is kept out of the public eye for a reason... a lot of stuff that was on the Wikileaks site gave a lot of details about troops and capabilities that could put lives in danger...

Any one who puts people who he hasn't mets lives in danger, for his own agenda, deserves all he can get...

Also, he has the right to a fair trial before anything can happen... if he has been accused of something then he should face the music and go to court... He is now skipping bail, which is ilegal, and is proven, so needs to pay the price!

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime!

No one has died from the things Assange has leaked.

Also, America is bought and paid for by corporations. So I guess you could say that government stuff IS corporate stuff.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

If a country can't protect its secrets. They are not worth protecting.

If Obama posts the schematics for an M1 abrams, then obviously they are not a secret.

America KNOWS whats a secret, and they don't mess around with important stuff. America's war machines are constructed by MULTIPLE teams of engineers so no one engineer knows everything about what they are building. They cover everything with tarps when not being constructed. Even parts being wheeled in.

THAT is a secret.

Something that is seen easily, and easily leaked? Not an actual secret. Nothing actually important gets leaked by an internet crusader.

Internet Crusader? It was an Inteligence Analyst with access to Secret networks...

And there are many different levels of Secret, with varying ranges of repurcussions if it is comprimised. Top Secret and above, yes, are kept a lot more protected...

Also, most of the stuff on Wikileaks wasn't really secret at all, it was just notes and emails written on a Secret network... but there was stuff on there that allowed enemy to know capability, which can lead to loss of life... that is what is wrong...

Seriously, if you are going to talk in a weird conspiricy theory tone with me, then just save yourself the effort... I am in the military, I don't do your crazy 'Truths'!

 

[MiskWisk]

While I do feel Assange's concerns are valid, I also agree with the statement he is a prick. I personally compare him to a tabloid journalist stereotype of not caring about anyone other than himself and no secret is too damning to be released. I feel he should be charged since his actions have directly put soldiers, international relations, civilians and people who have aided the efforts of NATO in Afghanistan and other areas. To me, he is a man with no concept of why a secret is not spread about. I understand leaking brutality of soldiers and that it should be done and not hidden, but most of what he leaked should not be common knowledge.

As to whether the case about him being a rapist or not, well I go for innocent until proven guilty but I will say he isn't helping himself.

 

[Henkie36]

Julian Assange is a prick. First of all, the guy sexually assaults two women

You should probably know that something counts as sexual assault in Sweden when it's unprotected sex without informing her prior to it, which was probably the case here.

Also, you'd be wise to take a milder tone. We have a justice system here in Europe where you are innocent until proven guilty. He hasn't been proven guilty yet, and the only reason he is still in the media is because he released something the US government would ruther have he didn't.

 

[Uncle Comrade]

I'm just going to leave this here, even though I doubt it'll change anyone's opinion. Just think it's worth bearing in mind.

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-myths-about-assange-extradition
"Assange has been afforded more opportunities to challenge the warrant for his arrest than almost any other defendant in English legal history. This is hardly "persecution" or a "witch-hunt"

Also I may be wrong, but I heard that he had sex with the woman while she was unconcious, which while it may or may not be rape, is definitely a bit creepy. Again, I don't know if this is true or not, but if "the English courts ruled clearly that the allegation would also constitute rape under English law" as the article says, I think there's probably a bit more to it than a broken condom.

As I said, I doubt this will change anyone's mind, since Assange's supporters are just going to keep repeating the "It's a set up/Courts = The Establishment and, therefore, The Enemy" line. One thing I will say is that Assange knows he's onto a good thing with his 'The US is out to get me' trump card. He's certainly playing it a lot.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

If a country can't protect its secrets. They are not worth protecting.

If Obama posts the schematics for an M1 abrams, then obviously they are not a secret.

America KNOWS whats a secret, and they don't mess around with important stuff. America's war machines are constructed by MULTIPLE teams of engineers so no one engineer knows everything about what they are building. They cover everything with tarps when not being constructed. Even parts being wheeled in.

THAT is a secret.

Something that is seen easily, and easily leaked? Not an actual secret. Nothing actually important gets leaked by an internet crusader.

Internet Crusader? It was an Inteligence Analyst with access to Secret networks...

And there are many different levels of Secret, with varying ranges of repurcussions if it is comprimised. Top Secret and above, yes, are kept a lot more protected...

Also, most of the stuff on Wikileaks wasn't really secret at all, it was just notes and emails written on a Secret network... but there was stuff on there that allowed enemy to know capability, which can lead to loss of life... that is what is wrong...

Seriously, if you are going to talk in a weird conspiricy theory tone with me, then just save yourself the effort... I am in the military, I don't do your crazy 'Truths'!

Crazy truths? I haven't said anything about aliens, government conspiracies, and the like.

I said that America knows how to keep a secret, and keep it well. It wouldn't allow anything actually important to be leaked.

And as I see you agree with me that nothing on wikileaks was ever a secret, looks like my job is done.

And lastly, capability? An ability to make a network, which isn't that impressive since even NASA has one, isn't capability. Its basic digital knowledge.

Capability, as in hardware limitations of other kit... not networks... and not something that NASA has...

Also, stop generalising... I didn't say nothing was secret on Wikileaks, I said most wasn't! :/

 

[chadachada123]

Please, the US pinned the sexual assault on him, I have no doubt he's innocent, it came out of nowhere. America is just butt hurt and wants to make an example of him.

It's equally possible that he is guilty and didn't want to face his crimes so he did his best to make this about some conspiracy theory nonsense.

See? I can make assertions without having to prove them too.

It still doesn't change the fact that a normal person would NEVER be extradited just on two technically-assault charges that haven't even been formally filed.

It's all politics, just Sweden abusing their powers to appease the United States/others.

 

[Angry_squirrel]

I can't stand the bloke... and it is good to see that others feel the same way...

I also massively disagreed with Wikileaks... I don't care if it was corperate stuff, but government stuff is kept out of the public eye for a reason... a lot of stuff that was on the Wikileaks site gave a lot of details about troops and capabilities that could put lives in danger...

Please, Assange didn't release anything that could have harmed troops, he released things the US government didn't want people seeing. Stuff like this:
He's the victim of a massive scale character assassination, hell, one of the women he "raped" was bragging about being with him on Twitter AFTER they had sex. Does that really sound like something a rape victim would do?

 

[Alexnader]

I'm just going to leave this here, even though I doubt it'll change anyone's opinion. Just think it's worth bearing in mind.

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-myths-about-assange-extradition
"Assange has been afforded more opportunities to challenge the warrant for his arrest than almost any other defendant in English legal history. This is hardly "persecution" or a "witch-hunt"

Also I may be wrong, but I heard that he had sex with the woman while she was unconcious, which while it may or may not be rape, is definitely a bit creepy. Again, I don't know if this is true or not, but if "the English courts ruled clearly that the allegation would also constitute rape under English law" as the article says, I think there's probably a bit more to it than a broken condom.

As I said, I doubt this will change anyone's mind, since Assange's supporters are just going to keep repeating the "It's a set up/Courts = The Establishment and, therefore, The Enemy" line. One thing I will say is that Assange knows he's onto a good thing with his 'The US is out to get me' trump card. He's certainly playing it a lot.

While the woman was "unconscious" (asleep) when sex was initiated, she woke up to it and they continued. Of course that could still constitute rape, however saying she was "unconscious" makes him out to be a lot worse.

Anyway there are a lot of inconsistencies with how this case has progressed. For one thing both women are being represented by a single lawyer, bringing one case against him. This is apparently unusual as the woman with the weaker allegations can compromise the entire case. They are also being represented by a corporate lawyer rather than the normal kind of prosecutor.

Furthermore the Swiss police took their statements together, which usually never happens. As far as I'm aware it's pretty standard practice to take statements individually for fairly obvious reasons.

There's of course more than that, however those are some of the procedural anomalies. Personally I'm on the fence about this, the entire situation is basically a legal and diplomatic dead-lock. I don't think it's fair for any typical escapist forum denizen to pass any kind of judgement on the matter.

 

[ScaryAlmond]

Assange is to me a good man, he did not assult those two women and he founded a website which finds faults in those with bad business morals. I do think he acts like dick according to his coworkers

We don't know whether or not he assaulted those two women because he's fleeing from an arrest warrant that would bring him to court to answer the charges.

I'm sick to death of the internet's love affair with their great hero of truth, who is himself fleeing from it and hiding so as not to fulfill a basic obligation of society.I know he thinks he's in the right because he sees a vast global conspiracy orchestrated by the US government to arrest him and try him for Wikileaks, but the thing is, I don't care about that. The situation he has built for himself there is entirely his own doing. It's the bed he's made.

I'm not interested in speculating (with no evidence personally on hand or presented yet in court) on whether or not the rape accusations reflect legit occurrences or not. I'm not interested in giving an ounce of credence to conspiracy theories. What I want to know is, how does the world not see this man for the coward he so clearly is?

A truly brave man who really believed his own rhetoric would answer the charges. Face them in court and destroy them if they be false; I can't imagine he'd hurt for legal counsel. And if the US tries to nab him, so be it; there's legal challenges to that too. And if it's determined that such an arrest is in fact legal, than so be it. Being noble is about facing the consequences of your actions. How nice of him, though, that he is enough of a celebrity that he can offer himself up as a political game chip to Ecuador and stay out of reach of the Swedish prosecutor, so we may never know if he really is a rapist scumbag.

Well I can't say he's a rapist. But a scumbag? Almost certainly. If he actually stepped outside, faced the music, proved the rape charges unfounded, and then weathered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune with some aplomb and courage I would admire the man. But he's a sniveling coward and it drives me up a wall seeing him granted hero status by the internet.

To clarify Julian Assange has not been charged with any crime he is wanted for questioning by Swedish authorities.
You guys in America really don't get the whole story.
THe major issue is that Julian did not use a condom the sex was consensual that's something that hasn't been widely reported the case is weak at best.
The charges are pretty weak.
The major reason why going to Sweden is such a big deal is because they have previously shown that they willingly extradite people to the US.
While I personally think that he should go to Sweden now due to the much lower risk of the US taking on such a high profile case.
However considering the US's activities over the last 10 years.
(calling everyone they kill a combatant, covering up wrongful oversea's killings eg collateral murder video the one that wiki leaks revealed
drones in Pakistan and recent war with Whistleblowers)
There is still a risk there

Personally I think he's a bit of a douche but since when is that a crime.
remember this exact method has been used by governments for years when it comes to whistle-blowers a sexual crime is usually the first to come out as it helps to lower that person's reputation.
Personally I'd prefer he go to Sweden and face the charges without being extradited.
He has said that he would if they can garentee that he won't be sent to the US but they still have not agreed to anything which is the whole case for his Asylum.
People have got to stop assuming he is guilty as you are only getting the media's take on this which has been fairly Bias which can be taken from the Guilty before proven attitudes.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Julian Assange is a prick. First of all, the guy sexually assaults two women, then he says some bullshit conspiracy theory about being charged in the us, and fucks off to Britain. He isn?t some kind vigilante freedom fighter, the guy just did something illegal and seems to think he?s above the law. Sweden has said explicitly that if he gets taken there they won?t send him to the US. If he?s innocent of sexual assault, then he should fucking go in a court and prove it.

Now all of you may agree with me (probably not?). But the guy gets celebrity endorsements, supporters in anonymous masks outside the embassy, and the help of Ecuador (who are fucking idiots by the way.) I don?t understand at all.

So yeah. Wikileaks is great. Julian Assange is a prick.

Assange is the only REAL reporter in the world. The only one with enough balls and integrity to speak the truth that we're being denied access to on a daily basis. Everyone knows that he wouldn't have a fair trial in Sweden. They worked very hard to try to find something to charge him with, and sexual assault that's not even a sexual assault is the best they could come up with. There's also a big chance that he would be extradited to the US.

How can you not see what they're trying to do to that man? The UK government is ready to break the fundamental international law in order to extradite him to Sweden. Like he's some kind of high threat terrorist. They want to break into the Ecuador embassy to extradite some guy based on sexual assault charges? THEY ARE THAT OBVIOUS ABOUT IT!

Do you know that under international law, Ecuador embassy is a part of Ecuador territory? Breaking in is not just illegal, it's an act of war!

 

[Patrick Buck]

I don't think he actually did sexually assualt anyone. Find it a LITTLE bit odd, how he gets accused after Wikileaks puts up something that would annoy the US goverment. Nice. Real good 'merica.