Assange no concern of ours, says [Australian Foreign Minister] Bob Carr

Assange no concern of ours, says [Australian Foreign Minister] Bob Carr

www.smh.com.au

The Australian government has washed its hands of Julian Assange as prosecutors at the trial of US soldier Bradley Manning have openly targeted the WikiLeaks publisher as a conspirator engaged in espionage.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr has told a Senate budget estimates committee that the government would make no more representations to the US on Assange's circumstances because his case “doesn't affect Australian interests”.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.smh.com.au

Fairfax Media has also learnt that Assange has been prevented by one of the largest banks in the US from making a donation to his own political party.

The Bank of America blocked the transfer to the new WikiLeaks Party of a $25,000 prize awarded to Assange by the Japanese musician, artist and philanthropist Yoko Ono.

This makes me so freaking angry, that i just can't state just how much i am disappointed in my government right now. Like...argh!

Foreign Minister Bob Carr obviously has no concern for Australians overseas, especially when it comes to the individual, Julian Assange. Bob Carr doesn't consider Julian Assange and his problems as being in Australia's national interests, despite the fact that Julian Assange is an Australian citizen himself.

I suppose though that his decision to throw Assange under the bus is not at all surprising, given the fact that he was a US government informant earlier in his political career:

Bob Carr may have been Foreign Affairs Minister for only 12 months, but he started talking to United States diplomats about internal Labor politics nearly 40 years ago.

Previously secret US embassy and consulate reports incorporated into a new searchable database unveiled by WikiLeaks on Monday reveal that Mr Carr was a source for US diplomats seeking information on the Whitlam government and the broader Labor movement in the mid-1970s.

The once-confidential cables also suggest that US diplomats turned to Mr Carr as a source of background information on Labor political figures: for example Mr Carr explained that a speaker at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in 1975 – left-wing Labor parliamentarian George Petersen – was "a NSW equivalent of Victoria's [Bill] Hartley".

Senator Carr has long been a very strong supporter of Australia's alliance with the United States and has a keen interest in US politics and history.

Needless to say, i am disgusted in the fact that Australia does not care for Julian Assange, an Australian citizen. He has been betrayed by the government prior to this...but this is on a whole new level.

www.smh.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by daaskapital


This is what the world has come to. Be crooked and profit off the backs of other and we will pat you on the back. Be person that does the good for the majority and get prosecuted. We as the human race are in a very sad state right now. Hopefully we can crawl out of this paradigm we have dug ourselves into.

Originally posted by XLR8R
reply to post by daaskapital

 

This is what the world has come to. Be crooked and profit off the backs of other and we will pat you on the back. Be person that does the good for the majority and get prosecuted. We as the human race are in a very sad state right now. Hopefully we can crawl out of this paradigm we have dug ourselves into.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

If we do not crawl out of the hole, after we are gone in a few million years something new will take our place. Hopefully they will not make the same mistakes our civilization has.

God.... this is so disgusting and humiliating.

Could we possibly demean ourselves anymore than this.

What a pathetic bunch of toe suckers we have become. Australia has become nothing more than another U.S. state.

Originally posted by triune
God.... this is so disgusting and humiliating.

Could we possibly demean ourselves anymore than this.

What a pathetic bunch of toe suckers we have become. Australia has become nothing more than another U.S. state.

Sounds about right Triune. It seems like the entire world is going down this slope.

Originally posted by triune
God.... this is so disgusting and humiliating.

Could we possibly demean ourselves anymore than this.

What a pathetic bunch of toe suckers we have become. Australia has become nothing more than another U.S. state.

Agreed.

I am ashamed right now. I find that they way in which our government has treated Assange is so, so wrong. It clearly shows where our government's allegiance lies. It is also not very comforting to know that Australia treats its citizens in such a manner, leaving them to fend for themselves only to please our American overlords.

This is not a good start to the day.

What Bob Carr is actually saying is that Julian Assange has made some very powerful enemies and that the Australian government has been told to stay out of it.

I have to say thay I am still on the fence as to whether he is very brave or just plain stupid for leaking all these government secrets.

Originally posted by daaskapital
This makes me so freaking angry,

The sooner the alleged rapist proves his innocence / guilt the better. We can then move on and Assange can do his business as a freeman, or do his time.

The Australian Government is right. Why involves themselves in the Assange situation. As if they could do anything anyway, and doubtful if Assange would take any help if offered.

Regards

The Australian government are a bunch of gutless, spineless, a**lickers for the US.

Manning and Assanage are hero's for showing the world who the real terrorists and aggressors are.

"No concern" simply translates to: "Australia will bend over for the US any chance we get - even if all evidence proves otherwise"... it makes me sick.......

In other news, an American soldier has pleased guilty to murdering 12 innocent women and children in their sleep.... this way he avoids the death penalty and can be released - I'm taking bets he will be at home with his family relaxing with financial benefits and a distinguished service medal within in a couple of years if not sooner......

Mickierocksman

Doesnt any politician have a set of balls anymore and a spine to stand up for law, justice and whats righteous anymore?

Disgusting, the politicians of generations back would not have allowed this to happen.

assange was stupid for not releasing everything he had on and about the US government for the world to see, just to let them Eat sshhiitt and expose all their filthy little dealings

Lets not forget this bloke Carr is not even an elected member of parliment, he was appointed. No one who goes into parliment without being elected should never be allowed to be a minister.

Aanyway, does this mean that Australia wont aslo make any more reprentations to the Saudi government, I think it is, that Is holding an Australian business man who was fined $25 million dollars, for the same reason??

So... Bob Carr believes that defending Australians from spurious claims of espionage is not in the interests of the nation? Interesting. So, that means that he would prefer that all Australians just keep sucking down the Fosters, and allow apathy to dictate thier actions, or lack thereof?

Well Mr Carr, I am sure that would be easier in the short term, but if you want a population of able, intelligent, and successful people, you have to support those people. We are not talking about a mass murderer, a terrorist, a drug dealer, or a man who sell secrets from one nation to another for personal gain. We are talking about an activist who advocates truth and transparency, which may not sit well with governments, but is considered essential by the people, over whom these governments have administrative power.

This is the most disgusting thing I have heard out of the Australian government for some time, and I hope Mr Carr gets all the karma he deserves for hanging his fellow countryman out to dry like this. Shameful... utterly shameful.

Never mind the fact that the allegation of espionage being leveled against Mr Assange is completely false...

Espionage is described thusly :

The practice of secretly gathering information about or from a foriegn government or competing industry, with the intention of placing ones own government or company at a strategic or financial advantage.

Since Assange is not working for the Australian government and cannot be tied to any other government either, the "secrets" he has aquired do not give any one nation an advantage, especially since he leaks information about many governments, not just one or two. His actions are not therefore designed to benifit any one nation, but the people of all nations, by allowing us to see the cancerous underbelly of the world we live in, the better to cure it when our time comes. Also, since Wikileaks is a not for profit (if I remember correctly) his actions are not financially motivated either.

Can I ask exactly what you want the Australian government to do about Assange?

He is currently sheltering in a foreign embassy, and we can't do anything about that.

He is in the foreign embassy to evade an extradition request from Sweden, and we can't do anything about that.

If the Swedes get hold of him it's likely they'll pass him to the USA, and we can't do anything about that.

If he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy he'll be arrested by the British police and handed over to Sweden, and we can't do anything about that.

If by some miraculous feat he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy and reaches the Australian embassy without being arrested by the British police, Sweden will request extradition and we'll be legally required to hand him over; we can't do anything about that.

So I'm curious to know: how do you think the Australian government can help Assange?

reply to post by Sankari


Well a start would be, not using phrases like "and we cannot do anything about that".

For a start this manner of thinking is unhelpful, and furthermore its utter rubbish. There are ALWAYS ways and means of doing things, of getting things done. The very idea that any nation which has both a gross national product and an international foot print (which Australia certainly does) cannot act in certain circumstances to protect and shelter its citizens is false beyond belief. The fact that they are unwilling to do so because they are at just as much "risk" from him as anyone else however, that is not beyond belief.

They are refusing to help, they are not claiming that it would be impossible to do so.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
reply to post by Sankari

 

Well a start would be, not using phrases like "and we cannot do anything about that".

For a start this manner of thinking is unhelpful, and furthermore its utter rubbish.

Then you should have no problem explaining what can be done to guarantee Assange's permanent freedom and immunity from prosecution.

here are ALWAYS ways and means of doing things, of getting things done.

Please tell me the ways and means of enabling Assange to escape the legal systems of four different countries: UK, USA, Sweden, Australia.

Seriously, I want this dude to get out of the UK safely. I just don't see how it can be achieved. Nobody in this thread has even suggested an idea.

The very idea that any nation which has both a gross national product and an international foot print (which Australia certainly does) cannot act in certain circumstances to protect and shelter its citizens is false beyond belief.

No it's not. If I am stuck in a country which has no diplomatic relations with Australia, the most Australia can do is complain to a country which has diplomatic relations with that country and hope they will do something about it. Apart from that, there's not a damn thing they can do to help me. The size of our GDP makes no difference whatsoever.

The fact that they are unwilling to do so because they are at just as much "risk" from him as anyone else however, that is not beyond belief.

I don't believe Australia is at risk from Assange. You're talking as if he's a criminal!

They are refusing to help, they are not claiming that it would be impossible to do so.

The Australian government's only options are short term measures which would not protect him from the Swedes or Americans. Read this article to learn why.

Originally posted by Sankari
Can I ask exactly what you want the Australian government to do about Assange?

He is currently sheltering in a foreign embassy, and we can't do anything about that.

He is in the foreign embassy to evade an extradition request from Sweden, and we can't do anything about that.

If the Swedes get hold of him it's likely they'll pass him to the USA, and we can't do anything about that.

If he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy he'll be arrested by the British police and handed over to Sweden, and we can't do anything about that.

If by some miraculous feat he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy and reaches the Australian embassy without being arrested by the British police, Sweden will request extradition and we'll be legally required to hand him over; we can't do anything about that.

So I'm curious to know: how do you think the Australian government can help Assange?

The situation of Bob Carr refusing to aid Assange is not based solely on the Swedish extradition requests, nor his sheltering in the Ecuadorian Embassy. Rather, Julian Assange was named as a co-conspirator of Bradley Manning in regards to the act of espionage yesterday during Manning's trial. In this sense, the way in which the USA now views Assange is clearly visible.

---

when asked by Greens senator Scott Ludlam whether the Australian government would raise the question of Assange's free-speech protection as a journalist under the First Amendment to the US constitution, Senator Carr said that ''it wouldn't be a matter of concern to Australia to make a case for him. No, why would we do that?''

Asked whether the government would inquire whether a US grand jury investigation of Assange was ongoing, Senator Carr said no further inquiries would be made because ''it doesn't affect Australian interests''.

In the above cases, it is quite clear that the Australian government could aid Assange by raising questions with specific US departments. It is also quite clear a that the Australian Government has no intention whatsoever to aid Assange in such a way, rather preferring to leave him out to dry. All of this is despite the fact that the USA has accused Julian Assange, an Australian citizen of conducting espionage with Bradley Manning. Do you not see a problem with this?

www.smh.com.au...

reply to post by Sankari


Well, first of all, Assange is not IN a nation with no diplomatic ties with Australia, so that point couldnt be more moot. Assange is in Britain, at an Embassy of a foreign power. However, Australia couldnt have stronger diplomatic ties with the UK, because of the extensive bleed over in traditions and culture between the two nations over the years. Therefore, if the Australian government still had both its testes attached, it could have publically requested that the UK step in to prevent his extradition, made a big media event of it, started kicking up a fuss, taken out a column in a British newspaper, and SHAMED the UK government into acting to protect Assange.

They have however done NOTHING. They have done nothing what so ever, save to take thier thirty pieces of silver, and sit back and watch. As I said before, there are any number of things that they havent done, that they could have done. Media assault is one possibility, ordering his springing from the security cordon around the Embassy, and an escort back to Australia by Aussie special forces operators wouldnt be out of the question either, particularly since the alternative is his being turned into what amounts to a political prisoner, which is a violation of every basic standard set by both the nation he is accused of espionage by, and the nation considering extraditing him.

There ARE options. What there appears to be a lack of is will power, and intestinal fortitude, and thats what makes me mad, because next to nothing makes me as angry as a lack of guts.