Dear Supporter,
This mail brings you notice of rallies for Julian's 51st birthday and some campaign general news.
1. Rallies in Six Cities for Julian's Birthday on 3rd July
The events are:
Adelaide
Malls Balls
Rundle Mall
11 am
web, facebook
Brisbane
Bunyapa Park
Cnr, Vulture & Thomas St (West End)
2 pm - 4 pm
web, facebook
Canberra
Commonwealth Place
Queen Elizabeth Terrace
11 am - 2pm
web, facebook
Hobart
Parliament Lawns
Salamanca Pl, Hobart
11am - 12 pm
Speakers: Greg Barns, Christine Milne and Senator Nick McKim
web, facebook
Melbourne
State Library
Swanston Street, Melbourne
11 am -1 pm
web, facebook
Sydney
Sydney Town Hall Steps
George Street, Sydney
Live Music: Billy Field, Lady Cool and Jasmine Beth
2 pm – 4 pm
web, facebook
2. General Information
The Assange Campaign would like to extend our warmest thank you for supporters attending the Australian screenings and Q&A of Ithaka. These were well attended and received excellent reviews. We managed to raise funds to cover the screening costs as well as some of John and Gabriel's costs. Without local support it could never have been such a great and widespread success.
John and Gabriel are currently touring in the UK attending Ithaka screenings, often to standing ovations.
We also celebrated World Press Freedom Day on the 3rd of May. The petition of 700,000 signatures was presented to Gabriel Shipton and Andrew Wilkie in Hobart's Parliament Gardens. This was well covered by the press.
We have seen a Federal election and a change of Parliament. Labor has committed to 'Bringing the Matter to an End' and that Julian has 'suffered enough'. There has been no clarification on what this means. It is worth considering that the move away from 'megaphone diplomacy' of the past government would require discretion in public. So the Labor Party's silence might mean they are locked in delicate negotiations allowing all to save face or might mean too busy running the country.
However the ABC's Law Report featuring Attorney General Mark Dreyfus (28th June 2022) offers the impression that this Labor Government has abandoned Julian Assange. There is dismay and a feeliing that Labor's rhetoric ignores the unanswered charges of psychological torture recounted by the Nils Melzer.
At the grass roots, we need to instruct our government to ensure these inconvenient charges are answered. If discrete diplomatic approaches fail then they should take up the megaphone. If that fails then they must push the matter to the International Criminal Court. All with an urgency appropriate for the significance of these charges.
While technically yet to be reconstituted, the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group is looking like it will have a lot more support, especially from the cross bench and increased Greens representation. And while Labor has a majority in the Lower house they do not have majority in the Senate. There is room for real political pressure here.
Sadly, Julian remains incarcerated under conditions of psychological torture and still needs our help.
To world wide condemnation, UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has approved the extradition to the US.
To quote Andrew Wilkie's and Peter Whish Wilson's views voiced at the Hobart Ithaka screening, "Our voices only carry weight because of the support of people like you. You must do more".
Let's make a statement this July 3rd.
3. Ithaka is now on ABC Iview
Ithaka is now screening on the ABC. It is being promoted well and getting good reviews. Please share this link with friends https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ithaka-a-fight-to-free-julian-assange. The first night screening of episode 2 gained over 300,000 viewings.
4. Send Emails
The content in the Assange Campaign Mailer has been substantially updated. If you have previously sent mails it would really help if you could send the new mails. More than 1300 mails have been sent to Australian Parliamentarians in the last 2 days. It would great to pass 10,000 by Julian's birthday rallies.
Please send emails to them now at https://www.assangecampaign.org.au/send-emails/ and also share with friends.
The mailer also provides a wealth of contact information if you have an interest in creating emails with more personal content.
5. The Book - The Trial of Julian Assange
John Shipton recommends this book written by Nils Melzer (Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment) as a must read for Assange campaigners. It is an easy read and works through the obligations to which various nations are committed through international treaties.
Sub titled 'The Persecution of Julian Assange', the book was written as a response after his formal communications with Sweden, The United Kingdom, The United States and Ecuador were effectively dismissed by those nation's governments.
The book should be available in local libraries and circulated through the various book clubs throughout the land.We are looking to provide support for informed discussion groups based on this book. The plan is create relaxed environments where knowledge can be spread and truth discovered.
Thank you again for your support for human rights, press freedom and democracy.
Free Julian Assange.
Many Regards
Matthew Bretherton
"If wars can be started by lies, they can be stopped by truth." Julian Assange
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