(Words in quotations are Julian’s own words, from Julian Assange in his Own Words
compiled and eduted by Karen Sharpe, 2021)
I wrote this speech in anticipation of President Biden coming to Australia for the Quad
meeting of 4 nations.
But President Biden cancelled his visit.
What a let down.
The Australian people were looking forward to talking with the President.
On the Internet, Quad says they aim to uphold democratic values and strengthen democratic
resilience.
They talk about freedom : a free and open region, freedom of navigation, free economy.
But nothing on free press.
Nothing.
Yet … this month, President Biden said free press is a pillar of democracy.
So, what IS the role of free press in democracy?
Julian Assange tells us that:
“True democracy is the resistance of people, armed with the truth, against lies. Every day,
ordinary people teach us that democracy is free speech and dissent. For once we, the people,
stop speaking out and stop dissenting, once we are distracted or pacified, once we turn away
from each other, we are no longer free.
For true democracy is the sum of our resistance.”
Its not a static thing,
It’s dynamic!
It is the work of the people
And it’s ongoing, every day. It is us, here.
In fact, Julian says:
“Perhaps it is the making of these advances and being involved in the struggle that is good
for people. The process is part of the end game. It’s not just to get somewhere in the end;
rather it is this process of people feeling that it is worthwhile to be involved in that sort of
struggle.”
He recommends that “we educate each other.
• celebrate those who reveal the truth
• and denounce those who poison our ability to comprehend the world that we live in.
The quality of our discourse is the limit of our civilisation.”
That’s why we need free press.
To do democracy, we need to know what’s going on.
We notice the role of the mainstream media in Julian’s persecution:
• censoring stories about him
• or even participating in the campaign to smear his character.
Look across the mainstream media: Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, the ABC, the
BBC or CNN. There’s a dead-hand uniformity in their silence about Julian.
It’s as though somebody whispered in their collective ears,
Don’t tell the whole story. Distract and Pacify.
Let’s be clear:
It’s not their job to save him, or condemn him
It’s their job to tell us the truth so that we can make up our own minds.
As Julian says:
“True and complete information is the raw ingredient needed to make a just and civil society.
Without that we’re just sailing in the dark.”
So search for the independent media
They are leaving the main press behind
because they are interested in exploring the whole story.
Julian encourages us to learn how the world works. “Challenge the statements, actions, and
intentions of those who seek to control us behind a facade of democracy.”
To that end, we must make demands of our leaders.
First,
we demand the US drop the charges against Julian Assange,
set him free
and stop abusing his human rights.
Second,
we demand recognition of the people’s democracy
including our right to know what’s going on.
In the words Julian directed to the US: 4
“As WikiLeaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of our
societies. We must use this moment to articulate the choice that is before the government.
Will it return to and reaffirm the values it was founded on, or will it lurch off the cliff –
dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world, in which journalists fall silent under
the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark?
No! It must turn back.”
And Julian is clear about how to do this:
“Change the policies.
Stop spying on us.
Eradicate secret law.
Cease indefinite detention without trial.
Stop assassinating people.
Stop invading other countries and sending young people off to kill and be killed.
Stop the occupations and discontinue the endless wars.”
So, we need to hold onto hope
“The current drift away from true democracy won’t break the spirit of the human desire for
freedom. It has ever been so that there are those who will oppress and there are those of us
who value freedom and are willing to stand up for it.”
Tell our leaders that free press is essential to the people’s democracy.
Tell our media, we want ALL the information and we have a right to the truth.
FREE JULIAN ASSANGE!