Australia-wide protests support of Wikileaks founder after his arrest today in London

People all over Australia and the world are calling for the release of Julian Assange and his protection in the name of free speech and public interest. Rallies have now occurring in Melbourne,Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Hobart. He has been vilified by politicians and right wing commentators worldwide, with the Canadian PM calling for his assassination! Let the Aust gov know you support free speech and Wikileaks and want the Australian Government to upold the human rights of Wikileaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange by attending one of the rallies. Some of the rallies coincide with this Friday 10th December's International Human Rights Day but are also occuring over the weekend. See below for details

Protest actions:

BRISBANE - 12 noon, this Friday December 10
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 295 Ann Street, City.

SYDNEY- Sydney Town Hall @ 1pm, Friday December 10.

MELBOURNE - Facebook event for the protest in Melbourne to defend Julian Assange: http://on.fb.me/gHWHyq

Melbourne Protest to defend Julian Assange at State Library, Melbourne 4.30pm, this Friday, Dec 10

HOBART: Saturday, December 11, noon at the Hobart Parliament Lawns
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/event.php?eid=171620612868329

ADELAIDE: Sunday, December 12, 1:00pm at Parliament House.
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=182236928453862

PERTH: Friday 10th December, 6:00PM Wesley Church,
corner Hay and Williams St,
Human Rights Day Vigil to support Freedom of Speech and Wikileaks

A website has also been set up to promote rallies around the world for Wikileaks at
http://www.rally4wikileaks.com/

Keywords: 

Comments

Looks like someone there learned from Julian Assange at a garden party of his ex that he was his own worst enemy, and decided that he did not like the messenger. Are these people going Chinese because they´re afraid of what is being made out of the leak?

As I said you are your own worst enemy.

I am in Canberra,where do we go to protest?Is anything organised?

I'm also in Canberra, and want to protest. How many others are here?

I'm in canberra too and would like to go along to something here? Is anything happening here in canberra?

It seems there will be a protest on Thursday 16th December in Garema Place at 5.30pm. Check this link:

http://the-riotact.com/julian-assange-protest-comes-to-canberra.html

More details on the Canberra protest on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109503732454066

It would be great to see pictures and details of the demo's posted on Indymedia tommorow.

No Canberra one called yet - call one and we will add to the site - how about the U.S. Embassy!

A protest is being organised....

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=182297491780623&index=1
Time
Friday, December 10 · 4:30pm - 7:30pm
Location State Library Lawns
Created By
Vashti Jane
More Info Julian Assange has just been arrested in London. JOIN THE PROTEST to Defend Assange and WikiLeaks on Human Rights Day in Melbourne, this Friday December 10, 4.30pm at the State Library.

Spread the word...

The demonstration will go till about 6 or so - so people should come after work.

For more information call
Vashti: 0423407910

Is there anyone else in Bali who would like to join me for a visit to the Australian Consulate here in Denpasar on Friday in protest against Julian Assange's arrest? We will ask the Consulate to pass on our concerns and request that our Government support and protect Assange. Julian Assange's arrest, and the failure of his government to support him, should be of concern to any Australian travelling or residing overseas.
To express your interest please go to
http://www.meetup.com/Truth-Movement-Bali/
and join this event.
Thank you.
Chris

Hobart: Saturday, December 11, noon at the Hobart Parliament Lawns
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/event.php?eid=171620612868329

Adelaide: Sunday, December 12, 1:00pm at Parliament House.
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=182236928453862

It never ceases to amaze me that when these ppl organise these protests they ensure they are held mid week to make sure nobody can turn up because of work commitments.

They should be held on a Saturday or Sunday so working ppl can attend or stand to be accused of being just an elitest renta crowd or just a bunch of dole bludgers with NO commitments during the week.

be wiser

Peter
http://www.myspace.com/nambassa

No protest in Canberra? I guess I'll travel to the Sydney.

Early this morning I finished a feature article 'The Rape of Julian Assange'. It features interviews with Greens leader Bob Brown and author, and political blogger Antony Loewenstein.

http://www.tripoutcorner.com/2010/12/rape-of-julian-assange.html

Seems Brisbane has 3 demos today Friday..this report was on Sky this morning 9 Dec 2010

Supporters of Julian Assange will rally this afternoon in Brisbane with socialist groups saying the campaign against the WikiLeaks' founder and his website is an assault on democratic freedoms.

Assange has been denied bail in London after his arrest on a Swedish warrant for suspected sex crimes charges he denies and supporters say are trumped up to silence him.

Today's rally starts at 5.30 pm (AEST) in Brisbane Square and another one is scheduled tomorrow at noon on International Human Rights Day outside the Foreign Affairs offices.

The lawyer who defended Doctor Mahomed Haneef against spurious terrorism charges Peter Russo will be one of the people protesting in support of Julian Assange tomorrow together with former Democrat senator Andrew Bartlett.

In an interview with the Seven Network, the stepfather of Julian Assange says he was a bright kid with a strong sense of right and wrong who always fought for the underdog.

Brett Assange, who helped to raise Julian from the age of one, said the boy was a very sharp kid and very sure of himself, stood up for the underdog with his school friends and was always very angry about people ganging up on other people.

Peter Terry

http://www.myspace.com/nambassa

ACTION: FRIDAY 10th DECEMBER - 6PM WESLEY PERTH - If you're outraged about the persecution of Wikileaks' Julian Assange and you're in Perth on Friday, make sure you come to The Human Rights Day Vigil, this Friday December 10, 6pm, outside Wesley Church, corner of Hay and William Streets, Perth city to demand 'Support freedom of speech, support the work of Wikileaks'

See: http://perth.indymedia.org

It'd be good to have something in Canberra, either outside the American Embassy or Parliament house.
Probably a bit late at this stage though.

http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=1070

JOIN THE PROTEST to Defend Assange and WikiLeaks

Canberra
Date: Thursday 16 December
Time: 17:30
Location: Garema Pl, Civic
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109503732454066"

Queenslander Julian Assange, in custody in the UK, can take comfort from the many hundreds of people coming to his defence around the world, but especially in Brisbane, the capital of his home state. Today about 400 people from all walks of life took to the streets, stopping traffic in the CBD.

http://indymedia.org.au/2010/12/10/hundreds-take-to-streets-for-

The protests should be ongoing - both weekdays and weekends to enable those working, who wish to, to attend. This would also assist to drive the message across to members of the public who are still unaware of what's going. Let's keep the issue alive and support our fellow countryman and global hero.

Is there any protests on Saturday, coming Sunday or Monday in Sydney? Please let me know. I want to participate.
Thank you

http://wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/mtgs-d08.shtml
SEP Australia public meetings: Free Julian Assange! Hands off WikiLeaks!
Imperialist diplomacy exposed: Behind the witch-hunt of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange

The ongoing publication of US diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks has provided an invaluable insight into the real state of international relations, the undercover criminal activities of the United States and other governments, and the mounting tensions between the US and its “allies” and rivals alike—tensions that threaten to spark new military conflicts in flashpoints around the world.

The revelations published so far are the most significant exposure of the real character of “imperialist diplomacy” since Leon Trotsky published the diplomatic cables of the Tsarist government after the October Revolution of 1917.

Like that event, the WikiLeaks exposures have sent shock waves throughout the globe. Their significance can be gauged by the fact that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been subject to a series of death threats from members of the US ruling elites as well as calls for his trial and execution.

In Australia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has joined this international lynch mob declaring, without any foundation, that the activities of Assange and WikiLeaks are “illegal.”

The international witch-hunt against Assange reveals the extent to which any commitment to upholding basic democratic rights has been discarded in ruling circles. How could it be otherwise when, in country after country, governments of all political stripes are imposing draconian austerity measures to provide hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out the banks on the demands of the financial markets?

The SEP has called two public meetings to demand that the democratic rights of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange be defended, and to discuss the significance of the WikiLeaks’ exposures for the Australian and international working class.

We urge all WSWS readers and SEP supporters to attend the meetings and to advertise them as widely as possible.

Melbourne
December 20, 7.00 p.m.
Conference Room
Arts House, Meat Market
5 Blackwood Street
North Melbourne
(Melway Reference: 2B A9)
Tickets: $4/$2 concession

Sydney
December 21, 7.00 p.m.
Tom Mann Theatre
136 Chalmers Street
Surry Hills
(Close to Central Station)
Tickets: $4/$2 concession

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."