The Guardian hit a new low in Amelia Hill’s report on Julian Assange’s appearance at the Oxford Union. Hill moved beyond propaganda to downright lies.
This is easy to show. Read through Hill’s “report”. Then zip to 20 minutes and 55 seconds of the recording of Assange speaking at the event Hill misreports, and simply listen to the applause from the Oxford Union after Assange stops speaking.
Just that hearty applause is sufficient to show that the entire thrust and argument of Amelia Hill’s article moves beyong distortion or misreprentation – in themselves dreadful sins in a journalist – and into the field of outright lies. Her entire piece is intended to give the impression that the event was a failure and the audience were hostile to Assange. That is completely untrue.
Much of what Hill wrote is not journalism at all. What does this actually mean?
“His critics were reasoned, those who queued for over an hour in the snow to hear him speak were thoughtful. It was Julian Assange – the man at the centre of controversy – who refused to be gracious.”
Hill manages to quote five full sentences of the organiser of the anti-Assange demonstration (which I counted at 37 people) while giving us not one single sentence of Assange’s twenty minute address. Nor a single sentence of Tom Fingar, the senior US security official who was receiving the Sam Adams award. Even more remarkably, all three students Hill could find to interview were hostile to Assange. In a hall of 450 students who applauded Assange enthusiastically and many of whom crowded round to shake my hand after the event, Hill was apparently unable to find a single person who did not share the Rusbridger line on Julian Assange.
Hill is not a journalist – she is a pathetic grovelling lickspittle who should be deeply, deeply ashamed.
Here is the answer to the question about cyber-terrorism of which Amelia Hill writes:
“A question about cyber-terrorism was greeted with verbose warmth”
As you can see, Assange’s answer is serious, detailed, thoughtful and not patronising to the student. Hill’s characterisation – again without giving a word of Assange’s actual answer – is not one that could genuinely be maintained. Can anybody – and I mean this as a real question – can anybody look at that answer and believe that “Verbose warmth” is a fair and reasonable way to communicate what had been said to an audience who had not seen it? Or is it just an appalling piece of hostile propaganda by Hill?
The night before Assange’s contribution at the union, John Bolton had been there as guest speaker. John Bolton is a war criminal whose actions deliberately and directly contributed to the launching of an illegal war which killed hundreds of thousands of people. Yet there had not been one single Oxford student picketing the hosting of John Bolton, and Amelia Hill did not turn up to vilify him. My main contribution to the Sam Adams event was to point to this as an example of the way people are manipulated by the mainstream media into adopting seriously warped moral values.
Amelia Hill is one of the warpers, the distorters of reality. The Guardian calls her a “Special Investigative Correspondent.” She is actually a degraded purveyor of lies on behalf of the establishment. Sickening.
English Knob, how stupid of me. Obviously, war isn’t caused by structure, it’s caused by Jews. That’s why we see battles between ant colonies; every so often, an ant turns into a Jew and gets much bigger, or maybe it happens the other way around.
I’m glad we’ve got you, fighting for England. You’ll kill all those dangerous Jews. I feel safe now.
Jives, thanks for making me laugh.
Habbabkuk
4 Feb, 2013 – 9:45 pm
“Don’t you read political memoirs and diaries???”
No I don’t, but please direct me to those that refer specifically to the use of behavioural psychologists and I will.
Karel
I think Resident Dissident occasionally goes away to visit his Desirable Residence leaving a Visiting Dissident with a noticeably different style and message in his/her place. His/her main theme is that Craig’s and others’ rather old-fashioned British sense of justice is misguided. Craig has a knack of ( or maybe a scientific method of ) putting his finger on the lies behind politics but our Des Res is a committed political liar and chancer who resents political lies being exposed. Today Dominic Lawson has cleverly commented on Huhne that politicians can often risk all on a lie and face it out to the end with dire consequences.
Des Res’s political instincts are Tyrannosaurus Rex while Craig’s political DNA seems to me consistently human. I believe as a Muslim that we should follow neither trickery nor emotions but rather Allah’s guidance from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
http://imaginepeace.com/archives/19347
Yoko Ono Lennon Presents 2013 Courage Award to Julian Assange (in absentia) in New York City
Daniel Ellsberg: “Julian Assange richly deserves this award. I hope that this award will give the Nobel Committee the courage to award Bradley Manning and Julian Assange the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Interesting observation by Ellsberg. I myself had suggested that Julian be awarded the Nobel Prize. Far more richly observed than Obama’s, it would also encourage a resolution to his being entrapped in London despite his political asylum.
Congratulations Julian! This is a bigger deal than Bob Dylan being awarded the ‘Medal of Freedom’–i wonder if he pins it on proudly every morning.
Oh dear. You know that the credibility of your justice system has reached just about zero when Belarus starts criticising you on it!
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/sverige-sagas–av-vitryssland
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article16181317.ab
(and says your treatment of Julian Assange violates international law too)
Oh, hahahahahahahhahahhahahha
What makes racists like English Knight (assuming EK is not a Zionist Troll) so very dangerous is that their agenda is inadvertenly advanced by reports such as this;
http://nation.time.com/2013/02/04/just-who-do-they-represent-at-hagel-hearing-concern-for-israel-tops-u-s-troops-in-combat/#ixzz2Jwx9nOKk
@ Karel ’23h26 on 4 Feb):
Buon giorno Charley boy, vero maestro dei maestri! Well, at least Resident Dissident, unlike some other posters, contributes to the discussion, albeit not in the way the “community” always likes. Substance rather than huffin’ and puffin’.
@ Doug Scorgie (23h40 on 4 Feb):
“”…I do not support the Assad regime but for some reason you don’t like me to say that.”
On the contrary, dear boy! I just wondered why you had to wait until Resident Dissident squeezed it out of you. After all, you could have mentioned your apparent dislike of the Assad regime during one of your frenzied posts about the wickedness of the Syrian rebels and their western backers. God knows you posted enough.
On a lighter note,
“Resident Dissident couldn’t squeeze the juice out od a soft orange”
Perhaps not, but he certainly managed with you, which perhaps makes you an over-ripe gripe (sorry, I meant grape).
And now for the last of my respected friends, David (23h59 on 4 Feb)!
Well Davy, I’m not sure why I should let you set the agenda or the running order for our discussions: since they featured in the same post, I think we could manage to discuss, in parallel, the question of colonialism/liberal intervention and the questions of the credentials of M. Louis and Mr Max Keiser and your own credentials (you’ll remember that you characterised them as “good”).
You might also remember that I queried your assertion that liberal intervention was just modern colonialism. It seems to me that the ball is in your court for the moment since you are the origin of the assertion, and therefore I now look forward to some reasoned argument (with as much detail and as many examples as seem fit)from you to give some substance to your claim.
I noticed that Resident Dissident has descended to the depths. He/she gave me an attribution which would offend those of the Christian faith. I have never called people on here by anything other their name. Furthermore, I never said he/she was a sock puppet but merely asked if there were any here hiding under other names. If the cap fits, though, he/can wear it.
@ Arbed :
“You know that the credibility of your justice system has reached just about zero when Belarus starts criticising you on it”
There are no doubt many reasonable arguments one could put forward to question the credibility of the UK justice system, but I hardly think that criticism from Belarus is one of them.
But I suppose the comment was made as a joke, so I’ll be indulgent.
@ Mary (12h25)
“I never said he/she was a sock puppet but merely asked if there were any hiding under other names”
Pull the other one and don’t take us for idiots, Mary!
Your little dig about people hiding under other names was posted in the context of remarks from Resident Dissident which I imagine displeased you. Thus it seems clear to me that you were talking about Resident Dissident. And since people hiding under other names are sock puppets, you in effect accusezd him of being one.
RE, the “Vrigin Mary” crack, well, I’m a believing and practicing Christian (Catholic actually, and you can’t get more Christian than that) and I don’t feel offended at all.
Just for info, I did however feel offended when you made that crack about farewells to Hillary Clinton and the death of the security guard at the US embassy in Ankara.
habby
“You might also remember that I queried your assertion that liberal intervention was just modern colonialism.”
I wouldn’t argue that. As I’ve said previously, colonialism and liberal intervention are both means to an end. I’d agree that liberal intervention is more sophisticated in the sense that as a phrase it may appear, to the unwary of course, to also describe the ends to which the means are put. But still, I’d argue that colonialism had similar objectives to what is now termed liberal intervention, namely the exploitation of and/or control of the resources of another people, including strategic control to similar purposes.
I understand that you say you’re disagreeing with this statement, but I’d be most grateful if you could say why, and in more substantive terms than you’ve done to date.
I’m sure you’ll agree it’s important to see precisely where that disagreement lies, before we can make further progress.
Chew your boots, won’t you Habbabkuk or go for a good run.
habby
You say you’re a “practicing Christian (Catholic actually, and you can’t get more Christian than that)”
What exactly does it mean to be a practicing Christian and why do you think Catholics are more Christian than other Christians?
Thanks!
President Assad has been fighting the Iraq death squads for more than 2 years now. These are the same death squads that murdered hundreds of families in Iraq and two Iraq doctors known to me who saved children’s lives in the Al Kadhmiya Hospital for Children.
Ahmad Mouaz Al-Khatib Al-Hasani the leader of the terrorist opposition in Syria has called on the US to reconsider its 2012 decision to list the foreign and Syrian fighters of the Al-Nusra Front, as a foreign terrorist organization.
Jabhat al-Nusra is an alias of al-Qaeda in Iraq and since November 2011 the group has claimed responsibility for “nearly 600 terrorist attacks, killing and wounding hundreds of Syrians.”
http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/14867
http://www.islamicinvitationturkey.com/2013/01/13/israeli-projects-implementer-al-nusra-front-saudi-made-with-lebanese-assistance/
al-Nusra Atrocities
Damascus Bombing – 23 December 2011
44 civilians were killed and 166 were wounded
al-Midan bombings – January 2012
“martyrdom-seeking operation” Two children murdered by shrapnel
Damascus bombings – 10 May 2012 Bombings
A mother and four children murdered
Deir ez-Zor killings – 29 May 2012
A mass execution -13 men had been discovered shot to death execution-style
TV station attack- 27 June 2012
Seven people were killed in the attack on Al-Ikhbariya TV, including four guards and three journalists
Mohammed al-Saeed murder – at Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square – 3 October 2012
Mohammed al-Saeed, a well-known government TV news presenter EXECUTED
Aleppo bombings – 3 October 2012
Three suicide car bombs exploded at the eastern corner of the central Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square killing 48 civilians and heavily injured 122 including a 3yrs old girl who lost limbs.
Base attacks – Aleppo – 12 October 2012
Storming of the Hanano barracks 11 government soldiers were killed. Raid on the Raqqah base killing 32 soldiers. Taftanaz military airport – 2nd November 2012 attack-13 civilian workers murdered.
Saraqeb executions – end October 2012
“Assad dogs” summarily executed – UN War Crime
car and suicide bombing – Early November 2012
Sahl al-Ghab in Hama province – car bomb – 2 retired senior citizens killed – Mezzeh neighbourhood of Damascus suicide bomber killed3 women including a baby in carrying cot + 8 civilians.
Aleppo “no-fly-zone” – 23 December 2012
al-Nusra Front had declared a “no-fly-zone” over Aleppo warning civilians not to travel by air.
I cannot understand why posters here are prepared to engage with abettors who are pushing for the demise of President Assad(the son). This indomitable, lion-hearted man is fighting deceptive Israeli and Western terrorism that is intent on civil war dividing religious groups thus furthering the war of terror by establishing long term enemies to keep NATO in business. Fools!!
@ Habbabkuk 12.39pm
“There are no doubt many reasonable arguments one could put forward to question the credibility of the UK justice system, but I hardly think that criticism from Belarus is one of them.
But I suppose the comment was made as a joke, so I’ll be indulgent.”
Wrong country, Habbabkuk. Did you look at the links?
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/sverige-sagas–av-vitryssland
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article16181317.ab
But, yes, I am highly amused by the Swedish judicial system being criticised by Belarus – of all places – and thought I’d share the joke with peeps here. This hasn’t been reported anywhere other than Sweden, so I guess these Swedish journalists picked up on it because they felt that Lukashenko’s criticisms would resonate with their readership somehow.
So Zionist Provocateur Troll “English Knight” doesn’t like the Pro Palestinian Gerald Kaufman. What a surprise.
Mary rest assured that if there was any insult that it was aimed at you rather than the Virgin Mary or Christians in general. Given that you are notoriously free in passing out your own insults to all and sundry – perhaps you be a little more thick skinned when you get one coming back in your own direction. Similarly my intention was not to insult Jesus Christ and John the Baptist, or Old Testament prophets for that matter – but to show how your cult had assigned similar status, based on faith rather than reason, to its heroes. Just as was the case with Salman Rushdie my comment was on human behaviour closer to home rather than the spiritual type (which being agnostic I have some doubt as to its existence but wouldn’t want to deny may exist). I’m sure any Satanists out there will be able to take all this in their stride!
Habbakkuk many thanks for your support – remember that we are the 99% outside in the real world.
As for those with an interest in my origins I am more than happy to confirm my deep Yorkshire Methodist and Chartist roots – although I did have a 2x great aunt who married the son of a Jew who fled from the Russian pogroms. Quite obviously all members of cult assume that all who disagree must be working for Israel/USA/the Satan of the Week – because their work is so important. But difficult as it may be to understand there are some of us out here who are none of those things and just disagree based on our own free will. I’m afraid we just see the paranoia as somewhat comical.
@Mark Golding
“This indomitable, lion-hearted man” – I know you are only parroting the words of Galloway in respect of one of your past heroes and following cult orders – but you should be aware that even the Gorgeous one got a little miffed when you friend stated lobbing shells into a local Palestinian refugee camp.
This newly released 16-page doc is the legal basis of disavowing 5th amendment rights for American citizens, much less Australian citizens, and droning out their existence.
Why, NBC can plaster their water-mark all over it is not explained.
Basically; bullshite, bullshite, AUMF, bullshit, crapola, Supreme Court and Hamdi…….AUMF, etc……
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/020413_DOJ_White_Paper.pdf
I didn’t think I could get ahead of Marcy…..
http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/02/04/this-isnt-the-memo-youre-looking-for/#comments
So good to hear we have so many preachers here sharing their personal sources of indoctrinated rubbish with us.
After three hours of heavy muck spreading in the garden, one is confronted with more shit than you can wave a stick at or can handle, here, by the son of wandering jester and Ms. Dissi., our frequenting resident.
And here comes the good news from Argentina, Yes they can take part in the next Football world cup and NO, there will be not a single Falklander amongst them, unless of course….
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/05/falklands-under-our-control-argentina
Habbabkuk
4 Feb, 2013 – 9:45 pm
@ Clark and Doug Scorgie : of course they do! Where have you been for the last 20 years – hibernating?? Don’t you read political memoirs and diaries???
I replied:
No I don’t, but please direct me to those that refer specifically to the use of behavioural psychologists and I will.
Why have you not directed me (and others) to the political memoirs and diaries you refer to? Is it because you don’t know of any and you just made it up?
I ask again direct me to the books you refer to.
I call your bluff.
“I call your bluff”
I enjoyed that one a lot. Swords or pistols at 6?
BTW – a point of logic – why should I direct you towards works which you proudly claim not to read? And since when have you lot ever told me where your sources are when I’ve asked? Get reading yourself, and “seek and ye shall find”.
@ Arbed : whatever the country, I think I’d have the same reaction to criticism emanating from Belarus.
@ David
you’re still talking in rather general terms. Specific examples, please, in particular for the “objectives” of some of the recent “liberal interventions” (please specify the precise objectives – eg what ressorces are we talking about- and the liberal interventions you have in mind (countries concerned).
And could you please deal with the “qualifications” questions I put to you (cf your posts about the “goodness” of Messrs Louis and Keiser) and which still remain outstanding.
Many thanks!
I do not pretend or lay claim ‘Resident dissident’ that the Syrian regime is faultless. There exists a dark side in every administration. An authoritarian character, a police state mentality and above all, deep-seated corruption.
Syria is curiously exacerbated by the regime’s neo-liberal turn with its attendant privatisations; substituting state property for private ownership by foreign states to exploit investment and trade.
However the one-eyed man is king and we are all blind. Foreign fighters infiltrate Syrian refugee camps because people make good human shields.
Bashar al-Assad has been left standing as the last Arab leader not to be in the pocket of the West. Syria is hated by Western allies for refusing to sign a surrender peace with Israel, refusing to abandon its territory on the Golan to the illegal occupiers, refusing to abandon the Palestinian resistance and continuing to provide safe haven for Palestinian leaders, fighters and organisations. Syria has insisted on supporting the Lebanese resistance, has refused to allow its territory to be used as a base against the resistance in Iraq… I can go on but the facts are clear to the 99% lamenting the murder, maiming and orphaning of a million children in Iraq -on a lie and awakened by the aftermath, the total destruction left by the West and their compradors in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.
“Bashar al-Assad has been left standing as the last Arab leader not to be in the pocket of the West”
Ah ha, there we have it. These pseudo-democrats, lovers of the truth, and true enemies of repression and friends of freedom are so stupid that they can’t help condemning themselves out of their own mouths.
To decypher the above quotation from Mark Golding:
Assad the Son is against the west and Israel. Therefore whatever he does is good and when it is bad it must be overlooked because were it not for the west and Usrael he would not be bad.
What a sad imbecile. But, as Resident Dissident correctly points out, one of the 1%.