In light of a recent article by The Last American Vagabond on the possible infiltrations of the American Hacktivist Movement, it seemed proper to further advocate what can very easily be seen as authenticity from the hermit that has become Julian Assange. Holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy for over 1200 days straight at this point, an article released by BuzzFeed in the fall of this year (2015) was able to craft a rough overview of the Embassy’s assessments, observations, interactions with Assange. Often referred to as Mr. Guest in the Embassy’s own internal reports on him, BuzzFeed’s “leak” doesn’t feel very far off from gossip, but provided as context to the current geopolitical ramifications of it all, it certainly gives a closer look into the mind of Assange. The Ecuadorian Embassy and Assange did not respond to requests for comments on the article, and all the reported “details are contained in a series of internal documents of the Ecuadorian government seen by BuzzFeed News and initially reported on by the journalist Fernando Villavicencio.” Seems valid enough, as far as gossip is concerned.
While this article will not go into many specifics on the matter of this BuzzFeed report, before analyzing some of the more pertinent events involved in the matter, it may help provide an interesting look into the humanness of Assange’s character in such a stressful situation. With reports discussing how the Embassy would need to monitor and put a cap on Assange’s alcohol consumption, and a feisty scuffle with a guard after sneaking into a security closet, it is somewhat relieving to see that there still aren’t any moguls looking out for Assange’s image in the Media. It is also interesting, although perhaps not surprising to many, to see Assange’s character come out in frustration and anxiety, which seems to attribute more to his authenticity than to negate, since this seems to be coming from a place of human angst that all can relate to. After all, who wouldn’t want to sip brandy all day if they were stuck in the hotel setting of the embassy for three years onward?
While originally staying in the embassy, and for a large portion of events described in the “leak,” the Metropolitan police at one point had up to fifty officers in and around the building, with reports saying that some officers were even stationed openly as guests in the building that the embassy was in. At any point should Assange have attempted an escape, any or all of these officers would have pounced on him—and this alone must have been a stressful visual reminder of it all, let alone the grander implications that await him in the United States, with WikiLeaks and its association with the Chelsea Manning cables.
Sweden, in this entire game, is just another example of U.S. proxy geopolicy that is being supported by its wrecking crew, the UK. The Swedish government by proxy of the U.S. has made some unprecedented strikes against human rights, firstly by groundless “rape” and “sexual assault” allegations (not charges) that were fabricated by the Swedish government from a love triangle of Assange’s that had ended abruptly and awkwardly—and found itself on public record. There were never any charges placed on Assange at any time, and this was a complete disinformation spin by the Mainstream Media in order to fuel public support for the Swedish government’s request to “Question” Mr. Assange.
For those who don’t know the catch that has kept this hacker in the embassy for three years, the Swedes have continuously refused to meet Assange in the Embassy and insist that he come to Sweden, where they have admitted that they cannot confirm that he won’t be extradited to the United States for his ties to the Chelsea Manning cables. It doesn’t take a genius to read between the lines and see the overt implications. This desire for questioning in Sweden alone has persisted since before Assange’s stay in the embassy, and only since March have they agreed to meet with him from his embassy quarters. However, this meeting has still not transpired. Assange has even requested to seek an MRI for alleged debilitating shoulder pain, which was something shot down quite quickly by officials, while the Swedes continue to twiddle their thumbs, and the Obama Administration scrambles to find anymore legal reasons to keep Assange confined.
At the end of the day, Snowden is safely holed up in Russia, where he maintains access to the American press to this day. Greenwald funds his new project, The Intercept, with a $250 million investment from Pierre Omidyar of PayPal, and Anonymous receives hot press for their cat fight with ISIS on social media. Julian Assange has had one of the biggest years to date with WikiLeaks, further speaking out against western imperialism through NATO funded Islamic terrorism, leaks from CIA director John Brennan’s personal emails, as well as leaked information of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Agreement, which is the largest corporate grab of intellectual rights that the western world has ever seen, making SOPA look like chump change. It’s also become ever more curious to ponder what Assange could be thinking right now from his position in the embassy.
If Assange is truly an authentic man of the movement like he has continuously presented himself as, through good and bad, then one can’t help but to question: what has Julian Assange thought about all this responsibility on his shoulders with his three-year sojourn away from the outside world? Indeed, whether one considers the hacker worthy of any responsibility, at this point it has been given to him by millions and millions of citizens across the earth who are seeking catalysts for the change that they want to help create. Not many people have the capacity to create these catalysts, especially not like Julian Assange, and this is ultimately why he has been burdened with this responsibility, and why the Obama Administration will do anything that they can to make sure that he is negated. For this reason, it is any man’s guess when Julian Assange will acquire his freedom, but unless the United States has an ace up its sleeve, it looks like they may soon be outdrawn in this duel.
Sources: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/13/julian-assange-wikileaks-swedish-prosecutors-london-interview, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34508500, http://www.buzzfeed.com/jamesball/mr-white-and-mr-blue#.nqJmrlz84N, http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/fernando-villavicencio/666/rafael-correas-persecution-of-journalist-fernando-villavicencio-submitted-to-un/34298/#.VeMMmQ1499s.twitter, http://www.crikey.com.au/2015/11/30/the-strange-case-of-julian-assange/?wpmp_switcher=mobile, http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/11/julian-assange-case-progress-sweden-ecuador-negotiations-wikileaks, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wikileaks-files/11932732/Wikileaks-Julain-Assange-refused-safe-passage-for-MRI-scan.html, https://wikileaks.org/tpp/