Originally published at Renegade Inc on 7th March 2020:
https://renegadeinc.com/the-show-trial-of-julian-assange-where-is-the-outrage/
Julian Assange was subjected to part 1 of his ‘show trial’ last month. Yes, I know that it was officially an ‘extradition hearing’, but it wasn’t…it was a ‘show trial’. Locked at the back of the court in a bullet-proof glass box, denied ongoing and un-monitored access to his lawyers, Julian Assange was ‘taken through the motions’ by a judicial system that is taking orders from the British government, who are taking orders from Washington…who are hellbent on demonstrating to the world that:
No matter who you are, no matter where you seek sanctuary, if you reveal our crimes to the world, if you allow human beings to see undeniable proof of how corrupt and depraved we are…we’ll come and get you…
If you doubt that a British court could sink this low, then I suggest you read Craig Murray’s daily observations & analysis, which are quite simply, outstanding:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/03/the-armoured-glass-box-is-an-instrument-of-torture/
In these articles you will discover things like: despite the extradition request being clearly ‘political’ in nature, & despite the fact that the treaty rules out ‘political’ extradition…the prosecution has argued that these specific provisions were not signed into UK law, so therefore they hold no weight. In other words, the prosecution are bringing an application under the terms of an international treaty, and then arguing that the said treaty is not binding under UK law. How’s that for ‘doublethink’?
The magistrate, Vanessa Baraitser, seemed to think that such balderdash is ‘all well & good’. It is NOT. It is ‘sick’, and it is very ‘bad’. I would say ‘you couldn’t make this stuff up’, except that they ARE making it up.
If what is happening at Belmarsh reflects the state of British justice, and how could it not, then our toxic legal system needs to be placed in an oxygen tent before it chokes on its own fumes.
However, analysing the legal charade is not my purpose here. Craig Murray’s work needs no help from me – just read it for yourself.
The axe that I have to grind is with the mainstream media…and their coverage of this ‘show-trial’, or rather, the lack of it. After years of sneers and taunts at Julian’s expense, they’ve gone eerily silent. It’s almost as if they know that this is a total crock, and so they can’t bear to mention it: “Can’t let the side down guys…better move on…how ‘bout them Dodgers?”
Caitlin Johnstone summed it up very nicely:
“The facts are all in, and yes, it turns out the US government is certainly and undeniably working to exploit legal loopholes to imprison a journalist for exposing its war crimes. That is happening, and there is no justifying it.
So the narrative managers, by and large, have gone silent…
…All the narrative manipulations that were used to get Assange to this point are impotent, irrelevant expenditures of energy compared to the fact that we now have undeniable evidence that the US government is working to set a precedent which will allow it to jail any journalist who exposes its misdeeds, and we can now force Assange’s smearers to confront this reality.
“Should journalists be jailed for exposing US war crimes? Yes or no?”
That’s the debate now. Not Russia. Not Sweden. Not whether he followed proper bail protocol or washed his dishes at the embassy. That’s old stuff. That’s obsolete. That’s playing defense.
Now we play offense: “Should journalists be jailed for exposing US war crimes? Yes or no?”
I couldn’t agree more, and so I am playing offense, which comes quite naturally to me, as readers of my blog will attest. Don’t be surprised therefore to find that the remainder of this piece is quite offensive…it’s purely intentional.
The only place you’ll find honest analysis on Julian’s ordeal, or any real pushback on this sick charade, is in ‘alternative media’ – people like Caitlin, Max Blumenthal, Patrick Henningsen et al - the ‘independent freehold’ area of the journalistic landscape. The corporate media is a leasehold affair - they own the ground under the journalists’ feet. The hacks themselves wear one of three virtual signs around their necks: ‘For sale’, ‘Sold subject to contract’, and ‘Under new management’.
If you’re a young journalist and you’ve done even a modicum of research, you know what’s wanted at a Murdoch rag. You’re not going to get a job at ‘The Times’ writing the truth about British Foreign Policy, Israel’s atrocities in Palestine or the persecution of Julian Assange. You’re going to get a job by demonstrating that you’re an obedient little shill who takes delight at punching down, but never punches up at his masters. You’re going to do well by being an errand boy for ‘power’. Do that long enough, and Uncle Rupert will tell one of his minions to put a ‘Sold Subject to Contract’ sign around your neck…and you can then write self-righteous hit pieces about people who do the real work of speaking truth to power - people like Piers Robinson et al, and Julian Assange – people whose shoes you are not fit to clean. You can become Oliver Kamm, or if you work at the Guardian, Luke Harding.
The Guardian of course is ‘Under new management’ and has been going steadily downhill for the past 9 years, since it got into trouble for publishing Assange/Manning, after which it sold its soul to the devil, AKA Mi5. It is now a shadow of its former self…a haven for catty little scribblers who take delight in writing passive aggressive ‘gobshite’ about anyone who REALLY challenges the status quo: like Jeremy Corbyn or Julian Assange.
In the unlikely event that someone from ‘The Trust’ is reading this, my offer to edit the Guardian is still open:
What then, about the ‘elite’…the ‘big beasts’ of British media? Their silence on this issue belies their reputation as ‘heavyweights’, and shows them up for what they are: a mediocre nest of toads.
These guys should know better: For example, look at this video of Andrew Marr looking bemused when Chomsky took him to school 24 years ago in 1996. Clearly the message didn’t sink in, which is indicative of a recurring feature with any ‘elite’ group: Hubris; they’re never as smart as they think they are.
What then of these other giants of corporate media:
Robert Peston? Nothing happening here folks
John Simpson? So out of touch, he’s embarrassing…he’s just finding out about the brutality that Julian’s supporters have been banging on about for months
Jon Snow? Too busy being Jon Snow
Laura Kuenssberg? Careerist to the core, she’ll only show an interest if Boris mentions it, the chances of which are zero to the power of zero
Andrew Neil? Surely, we can rely on some pithy questions or sharp observations from the Robin Day of his generation? Not a dicky bird. It seems that Neil can punch his weight when cross-examining Boris Johnson’s empty chair, but is strangely reticent when the deep state steps into the ring. Pathetic.
The only ‘big beast’ that I still have any respect for, and he may not even regard himself as such, is Peter Hitchens at the Mail on Sunday. He, at least, has the ‘balls’ to take on the security state, as demonstrated by his exposure of the OPCW whistle-blower cover-up. In this endeavour he has been a lone figure on ‘Fleet Street’. I hope he NOW finds the energy & the passion to speak up about this; we shall see.
So to all of these, and to the rest of the MSM, I ask Caitlin’s question:
“Should journalists be jailed for exposing US war crimes? Yes or no?”
To the ones who continue to avoid the issue, I say this:
You will come to regret your shameful silence, and no amount of excuses will get you off this hook…not this time. Whether Julian Assange is extradited or whether he is freed, you will have to live with the consequences of your cowardice, or your collusion…and you know which one applies to you. This is ‘piss, or get off the pot’ time for journalists.
Finally, what can the rest of us do?
If you feel outrage, be outraged. Anger gets a bad press, but there’s one thing that I know for sure:
Anger is an appropriate response to injustice
So don’t sit patiently listening to people crap on about the trumped-up rape charge, don’t put up with garbage like ‘there’s no smoke without fire’. Know this: when the government want you to see smoke, they light a bloody fire. Don’t beat around the bush; ask them the question:
“Should journalists be jailed for exposing US war crimes? Yes or no?”
Write to your MP, use your social media, bring it up with your friends, and when the time comes…which it will…be prepared to bring your voice onto the street. If ‘reason’ was going to work, it would’ve worked by now. As Winston Churchill reportedly said to Lord Halifax in 1940, when the ‘appeasers’ wanted to negotiate terms with Hitler:
“You cannot negotiate with a tiger, when your head is in its mouth’
It’s your head, not only Julian’s, that is in the mouth of the tiger. To use a different metaphor: we are being herded like sheep into a dark Orwellian pen, where the truth will be whatever the ‘masters’ want it to be; where dissent will be forbidden, where the psychopaths can rule unencumbered.
Well, f*ck that, and f*ck them. I will not go quietly into the darkness, and neither should you.
***
Postscript:
A few hours after this was published, John Simpson was busy on Twitter, defending the BBC. The irony was palpable:
Finally, as you may have heard, the US is releasing many non-violent prisoners from jail due to the effects of COVID-19, both on the prisoners themselves, and the staffing levels in over-crowded jails. Assange has served his sentence for ‘skipping bail’ and would normally have been released in December, subject to not being allowed to leave the country whilst the ‘extradition hearing’ is going on. This was refused by the ‘Magistrate’, who thinks he might be able to flee the country…apparently she’s never heard of ankle bracelets or police monitoring…but anyway…
…Julian’s mother, has made a plea to the British Government to release Julian from Belmarsh on health grounds. She has heard nothing. As far as I am concerned, the explanation for this is quite simple:
Please share this article anywhere you think may make a difference. If Julian Assange is extradited, or if he dies in jail, apart from the loss of life and/or liberty of an innocent man…aside from the injustice that such an event would represent…the ripple effects would last for a very long time…
Thank you.