I have to confess that after the last court session of another tough week (and yesterday was a particularly emotional and startling court day) I went to the pub with a friend after court yesterday rather than start writing. So Friday’s report this afternoon.
Although Julian’s days in court are horrible in some ways, with 5am starts, strip searches and shackling for transport in a kind of upright fridge inside an armoured serco van, at least he gets to see us all and after the final session he gave John Pilger and I a raised fist salute as they took him down. It has definitely been better for him than effective solitary confinement all this time. Wondering what he is thinking right now back locked in his Belmarsh cell.
You’re a star, Craig.
Respect.
Bravo, Craig. Glad you took a break – if anyone deserves a spell at the pub it’s you. And poor Julian and family, of course.
You’re due a pint, Craig, and – as when friends get together in the pub – if you didn’t put the world to rights last night, it’s not for want of trying.
I must also confess, were it not for the information and updates you provide and have been providing (and, disgracefully, not being provided by our broken media), I would have little interest in some guy being treated worse than a dog in an English prison. Well done, man.
Pubs and reporters on Fleet Street go together. like …. At one time the question of whether you were a journalist and for whom could be answered by asking which Fleet Street boozer you went to.
You’re doing an amazing job Craig, thank you. I hope some liquid amber from Islay hit the spot 🙂
Craig has been at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, not in Fleet Street but not far away.
Well done to Craig for his work this week and for ascending and descending those 132 steps multiple times. At the High Court there are a few narrow plank like benches for the public to sit on below the judge. The overflow has to ascend a circular stone staircase with narrow treads to sit on similarly narrow benches in a gallery from which nothing could be seen or heard of the proceedings below. That was my experience in 2011 when an application was made by a group of doctors for a judicial review of Attorney General Grieve’s decision to refuse an inquest for Dr David Kelly. RIP. It failed needless to say. The papers in the case have been locked away for 70 years.
That’s British justice in the C21 performed in neo Gothic dumps. Keep the people down.
Robin Cook was another opponent of the Iraq war. He also met his maker, outdoors, while walking in a particularly remote part of Scotland (‘You don’t see anyone for days), and was unable to benefit from the attention of the first man on the scene – a doctor.
Such a coincidence of quantum lattice chrono-dynamics that he should have been in the area at that time.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I am worried for Mr Murray’s well-being.
Blimey, I fully expected you to sleep 48 hours straight after this week. Keep up the good work, and take care of yourself.
Hope you enjoyed your drink and that they served you a Scottish tipple down there of your choice. Looking forward to reading this afternoon.
Our man in the gallery is getting recognition from across the world
https://asiatimes.com/2020/09/empires-mask-slips-at-julian-assange-trial/
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2020/09/17/news-media-who-ignore-the-assange-trial-are-admitting-they-dont-care-about-journalism/
Go Craig!
First three paras from the first link. TPTB must hate Craig even more now. Expect a redoubling of their efforts when it restarts in Edinburgh.
“The concept of “History in the making” has been pushed to extremes when it comes to the extraordinary public service being performed by historian, former UK diplomat and human rights activist Craig Murray.
Murray – literally, and on a global level – is now positioned as our man in the public gallery, as he painstakingly documents in vivid detail what could be defined as the trial of the century as far as the practice of journalism is concerned: the kangaroo court judging Julian Assange in Old Bailey, London.
Let’s focus on three of Murray’s reports this week – with an emphasis on two intertwined themes: what the US is really prosecuting, and how Western corporate media is ignoring the court proceedings.”
Add https://thesaker.is/julian-assange-trial-the-mask-of-empire-has-fallen/ to the list….
It is unfortunate (and I am sure unwitting) that Pepe’s article contains the following:
“All journalists” means every legitimate journalist, from every nationality, operating in any jurisdiction.“
There are no “legitimate” journalists.
Indeed, great work Craig.
Honest Government Ad | Julian Assange – https://www.thejuicemedia.com/honest-government-ad-julian-assange-pg/
No apologies needed, you’re an absolute star – a beacon of hope in a sea of filth. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for your great work.
We’re relying on you to stay well, Craig, and continue your courageous work (which I at least view as being done partly on my behalf). I’d imagine that a wee dram in convivial surroundings at the end of a rough week would help your health and temper somewhat.
No confession or apology needed of expected. Hope you both enjoyed the evening.
You’re doing a great job and deserve some time in the pub
the Guardian came up with this, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/15/all-lies-how-the-us-military-covered-up-gunning-down-two-journalists-in-iraq
and a link in the article. A longer but quite moving piece https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/witness-yates-injury/
I came across an older article in the Guardian, because I’d read somewhere that John McDonnell, the Labour Shadow chancellor had paid a visit to Julian Assange in Belmarsh Prison, earlier this year, and I thought, good on him, and I wondered how many other politicians have done the same.
The article, which appeared on 20th February 2020 was titled, ” Julian Assange case is the Dreyfus of our age, says John McDonnell ” . The article’s author, Ben Quinn thought it necessary to remind readers who Dreyfus was, which I thought was quite reasonable, but a few paragraphs in, we then get some nonsense, and I quote ;
The comparison between Assange and Dreyfus drew criticism, INCLUDING from the Community Security Trust ( CST), a charity working against antisemitism and racism in British society, which Tweeted : ” Disgraceful false equivalence to one of the key learning moments of modern Jewish history ”
Which pretty much, in my view, sums up what the Guardian is about!!
I had a beer for Julian too after this week. I’m feeling for all of you.
One of the most disturbing things for me about this ‘trial’ is the lack of coverage it gets in the mainstream media. It reminds me of Pinter’s famous Nobel Prize speech: It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest.
Were it not for you we would know practically nothing. It is a huge service to us and Julian that you persist. I’m an insignificant nobody but it means a lot to me. Thank you.
You reminded me of an ANC magazine that a student showed me in the 1980s. Black South Africans were making raised fist gestures out of the bars of police vans and there was a caption to the picture:
“EVEN UNDER ARREST THEY SHOUT “AMANDLA”! “
Glad you took a break.
Enjoy – you’ve deserved it. You are doing a fantastic job, we don’t want you to burn out.
Its a heavy schedule you’ve set yourself Craig we won’t be surprised of annoyed if you cannot fulfil it, and going to the pub isn’t a crime even you need to blow off steam now and then.
On Assange I suppose he must be glad of at least a change of routine if nothing else, I’d image his long nights are full with him going over the days proceedings.
Without your hard work we would have had zero daily reports.
If you need a pint to stay sane, then stay sane you should.
The next trial day is not until Monday, after all….
Keep up the good work, Craig. You are a godsend, bringing us all news that the media does not. Wow, what a week. You deserve a drink. Or two. Or three?
Meester Smith. Craig Murray, undertakeur of journalism. Despite me avin’ a dickee tickeur, I will bury your reputation swiftly, and with style….
This trial makes me sick. The UK MSM are always prattling on about Turkey jailing journalists – disgusting hypocrites the lot of them.
They also clutch handkerchiefs to their noses when Trump questions the veracity of corporate journalism. It’s okay though for him to bury Julian Assange under a mountain.
Cubby.
Australia is the tip of the American spear when it comes to the economic war on China, the Australian government, won’t help their fellow countryman and journalist Julian Assange, but they did bend over backwards to help other Australian journalists evade Chinese scrutiny.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-11/australia-china-embassy-investigation-journalists-abc/12653276
Republicofscotland
What makes you think that they are bending over backwards? It sounds more like forwards to me.
don’t know if you ‘watered’ in the Viaduct – but be assured there are no secret cells to disappear into. keep up the excellent work.
http://www.peterberthoud.co.uk/blog/18022016151359-there-are-no-cells-at-the-viaduct-tavern/
Have you ever wondered if the powers that be are deliberately stoking tensions between orchestrated factions to bring about a civil unrest never seen before on our shores?
The seeds of discontent are being sown at every available opportunity, Craig, with the maxim of divide and conquer being glaringly applied throughout.
……………………..all being played out in plain sight even down to the fake story about a body guard of Raab leaving a loaded glock pistol in a holster on the seat of an aircraft……………….
Our spineless main stream media working under a D notice to print and present garbage on a platter to the ignorant.
Those of us lacking your insight would be interested to know how you worked out that the ‘gun on plane’ story was faked and more to the point why.
Which “powers that be” is the question – there seems to me little doubt that we in the west are being pushed towards a major uprising of some kind, but I don’t think it’s the doing of boris and his cronies. He resembles nothing so much as a rabbit caught in the glare of headlights.
For the “New World Order” to be installed, the old order must first be torn down, after all.
“the six of us allowed in the public gallery, incidentally, have to climb 132 steps to get there, several times a day. As you know, I have a very dodgy ticker; No doubt the authorities are aware of Craig’s ‘dodgy horse and cart’ and are probably dismayed when Craig makes it to the top and livid when he quotes Nietzsche “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” now GFY.
haha Harry well said. You dezerve more than a drink, Craig, one for every step you took, well spread over a few weeks, might be more appropriate.
Julian will get much comfort out of any change to his torture regime. To shackle him in prison, in thestate he is in, will make it clear to the world that this crumbling edificeof a countryhas not changed its colonial practises one iota since it put up concentration camps in SA.
He will be looking forward to seeing those 6 friendly faces again on monday and hope will be in his heart when the grindstone of decaying justice starts turning again.
yes indeed it must feel so nice just to see you guys after such a long time seeing only the prison staff… thank you so much for what you’re doing for Julian… and yes indeed i wonder too what he might be thinking back in his cell… i am so glad he gave you a raised fist salute, he is still fighting and he knows you are fighting for him, which is the best balm he can get right now… thank you so much, nothing is lost…
That’s more than deserved, but – be careful, Assange and we all need you. Best of wishes.
You should relax more, Mr. Murray, you need it, you deserve it even more.
The decision of the court has been taken weeks if not months ago, nothing will change it, it’s not a court of law, it’s a show trial similar to what the Stalin’s henchmen arranged in the 30s.
I think we can be forgiven for going to the pub.
Maybe just not too many times, lest we get scapegoated by useless Tories for spreading diseases.
What I cannot understand is the increasing numbers of dummies turning up for fake-cause protests, both in the US and now in the UK. All these anti-lockdown fools suddenly come together for their peudo-demonstrations? Such a hugely puerile concept of liberty they have. Van Morrison ought to stick to music, rather than rear his pig-headedness about things he knows nothing about. Most libertarians I know these days really behave like such imbeciles, with such a very vacuous concept of freedom.
Where are all these freedom lovers when journalists are jailed, when some of us are trying to protest the really serious threats to freedom? Probably sitting on their arses in the pub, enjoying their delusional free-market freedom, their freedom to be a dumb-ass consumer.
Wondering that Nils Melzer UN guy for torture cannot seem to do anything against UK legal system and UK Justice system treating JA in this way…even though it continues now …….that the Spanish legal situation seems to be unavailable regarding Julian’s defence etc. has been compromised by the spying and stealing of info prevents a fair trial giving unfair advantage to his prosecutors…as does the situation in Belmarsh regarding meeting his legal team, not being able to use computers, research and prepare his case for defense…that ECHR process seems to be unavailable so he can access to the rights for a family life….