Julian Assange: Gabrielle Giffords Parallels Made Over 'Violent Rhetoric'

Though he came across more strident than sympathetic, Julian Assange joined the ranks of public officials to offer words over the grisly Arizona shooting that left six dead and Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition.

In a statement issued ahead of Assange's Tuesday court hearing in London, where he is fighting extradition to Sweden on rape charges, the WikiLeaks founder drew parallels between his own experience and that of Giffords, whose shooting launched a nationwide debate over the toxic tone of U.S. political discourse, the Associated Press is reporting.

Citing "unprecedented violent rhetoric by U.S. prominent media personalities," Assange warned similar attacks on other officials like himself could await, as such open provocation could potentially "inflame...unbalanced personalities," an indirect reference to 22-year-old suspect Jared Lee Loughner.

The Telegraph quotes Assange's statement as follows:

"No organization anywhere in the world is a more devoted advocate of free speech than WikiLeaks but when senior politicians and attention-seeking media commentators call for specific individuals or groups of people to be killed, they should be charged with incitement -- to murder," he said. WikiLeaks had engaged in "extreme security measures" to protect its staff, he said, adding: "We call on US authorities and others to protect the rule of law by aggressively investigating these and similar incitements to kill. A civil nation of laws cannot have prominent members of society constantly calling for the murder and assassination of other individuals or groups."

In November, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin referred to Assange as "an anti-American operative with blood on his hands" and "a high-tech terrorist," while suggesting he be "pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders." Other pundits also went on the offensive, with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee saying any penalty short of execution for the WikiLeaks founder would be "too kind."

Comments

[mnkors]

01:56 PM on 01/12/2011

Who is an author of this curious paper that, despite many corrections made worldwide in press, still tries to sell the slanderous "rapes charges?"

Assange has been accused of alleged sexual misconduct. The accusers have mysteriously disappeared from the radar. It is even possible that at least one of them is a victim of cynical pushing by the Karl Rove's Sweden students of governance.

The mold is afraid of light.
The slaves are afraid of democracy.

[ForemostPanda]

08:59 AM on 01/12/2011

who cares what a criminal fugitive thinks? assange isn't an official anything except enemy agent.

[Kald]

12:35 PM on 01/12/2011

So, you have your glock ready then?

[ForemostPanda]

03:09 PM on 01/12/2011

huffp0 is no place to advocate violence or try to exploit a tragedy. you should be ashamed of your self. I believe assange should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

[PaleMail]

07:26 AM on 01/12/2011

Smart man that Mr. Assange, for a non-US citizen he sums-up the poisonous political discourse nicely.

[AngryBuddist]

02:57 AM on 01/12/2011

I mean come on... is telling me Khadafi likes buxom blonde women a security threat?

[AngryBuddist]

02:55 AM on 01/12/2011

How is Assange any less guilty than Rove? Revealing Plames identity is a far worse crime than anything I have heard reported coming out of Wiki-Leaks.

I mean for real... does anyone have anything not totally boring and lame published by wiki-leaks?

[ForemostPanda]

09:00 AM on 01/12/2011

provide a link. all evidence proves plame outed herself first and armitage confessed to mentioning her second. rove had nothing to do with the liars, plame and her husband wilson.

[KakTar]

01:45 PM on 01/16/2011

But Mr Wilson's information was the truth. They were not parts for a bomb.

Evidence shows us the Bush "White Papers" were the lies that got us into a war we did not need to be in for our safety. Maybe for oil but not for our safety.

[TheWarYouDontSee]

01:30 AM on 01/12/2011

R.A.P NEWS 5: News World Order - The W.a.r on Journalism!

B.ill O'R.eilly vs Julian Parody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXbCwq4ewBU

[Marcus1]

10:30 AM on 01/12/2011

Excellent video, speaks the truth.

[SayBlade]

02:20 PM on 01/12/2011

"...and the knowns we know we know are known as Known knowns..."

Highly reminicient of Former Canadian PM Jean Chrétien's "a proof is a proof" regarding Canada's assisting the US in the war on Iraq.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=af3_1280203779

[StopCensoringMe]

01:21 AM on 01/12/2011

While Assange is no "public official" (who wrote this article?), he is correct. Such inflammatory comments could be perceived as incitement to kill and I would agree should be prosecuted as such. Naturally, getting a conviction or having it stick through appeals would be nigh impossible but the attempt might serve to through some cold water on the flames of hate.

[mikesw]

11:59 PM on 01/11/2011

Funny how some pundits want to defend the right to free speech in order to call for the murder of a man never charged for any crime against the US, but then denounce the same right to free speech to inform the public about the actions taken by their own government.

The twisted values at display here are breathtaking. Can I really believe that people think patriotism is desiring for ignorance and making threats of violence?

[TheWarYouDontSee]

08:49 PM on 01/11/2011

People who are ok with m.urdering Assange!!

Hint...they are not on the left!!!

http://www.peopleokwithmurderingassange.com/

[Opening Shares]

09:33 PM on 01/11/2011

OOO! You went to Wikileaks twitter page, now the government has your IP address.

[TheWarYouDontSee]

10:36 PM on 01/11/2011

The US government can kiss my @.s.s!
I am openly at war with the US government...information war that is because I never advocate violence!

[TheWarYouDontSee]

08:49 PM on 01/11/2011

People who are ok with murdering Assange!

Hint...they are not on the left!!!

http://www.peopleokwithmurderingassange.com

[Fredday]

06:57 PM on 01/11/2011

The fear of this man from the righties and tr0lls is. . .awesome. :)

[AngryBuddist]

03:00 AM on 01/12/2011

There is an alley cat lurking near my garbage that is scarier than anything Assange can release. This is all a lot of 'puffery'. And I am sure plenty of people are making a lot of money off it.

[esseff44]

06:33 PM on 01/11/2011

Here's a link to 'incitement to commit lawless acts'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitement_to_imminent_lawless_action
'

[esseff44]

06:31 PM on 01/11/2011

We have had Supreme Court decisions about the limits of free speech and incitement. It would be a good thing for people to review them because they are the laws we have to go back and not what we think they should be at times like this.

[JacklynD]

10:40 PM on 01/11/2011

People are getting away with it because our President is being dehumanized because he's not white. Not only is President Obama being dehumanized but the GOP and their talking head puppets on the airwaves at FOX and ogres like Limbaugh have painted 1/2 of this country as enemies. It's gone too far. It is disgusting and I am furious with the GOP for not standing up as decent American citizens and saying Enough.

[naschkatze]

05:40 PM on 01/11/2011

Huckabee, O'Reilly, and others I'm sure have called for Assange's assassination. Just because you are not a US official doesn't make it ok to call for someone's murder.

[SheilaKhani]

04:57 PM on 01/11/2011

for a man on the run, he's got a nice haircut. Who does his hair?

[esseff44]

06:24 PM on 01/11/2011

He's not on the run. He's anything but on the run. His movement is restricted even though he is staying at a private estate.