By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor
Julian Assange, of Wikileaks fame, was arrested today in Britain. He faces extradition to Sweden for charges of sexual assault. Assange has indicted he will fight extradition.
On a more curious and conspiratorial note, the Assange arrest is in the middle of the “news cycle downswing” of the Wikileak which has divided the journalist community. The third “dump” has received considerable attention for what was not “dumped,” and brought even more light on earlier Wikileaks which have now become suspect. Journalists either love Assange or believe he is a spy, part of a “psy-op” that is manipulating the press, partially through the convenient timing, not just of this arrest but earlier threats as well.
All have been timed to Wikileak “dumps” and all have had timing that makes them appear carefully choreographed to extend news coverage, raise controversy and add credibility to material which has been characterized as “seeded” by intelligence agencies with an agenda to discredit Islamic nations, push for war with Iran and derail Middle East peace efforts. “JOURNALISM WARS”
Of all media outlets, the “alternative news” or “fringe” have had the biggest gains through Wikileaks. With coverage from traditional sources increasingly being seen as dry and repetitive, only the “alternative” press, almost all internet based, has been able to exploit rumors or, in many cases, do controversial “in depth” analysis that the mainstream press is no longer capable of.
However, there is a darker side. With internet site “hits” from Wikileaks stories actually clogging some servers, pushing up site income and loading traffic counters, the desire to own one set of conspiracy theories and have them prevail over others has driven some online journalists to guerrilla warfare. The newest round of Wikileaks stories are actually attacks by journalists on each other.
One online writer stated today;
“Seeing writers nobody has heard of fighting over Julian Assange, attacking his critics with a near religious fervor, is actually quite funny. The critics of Assange have had impact, there is no doubt about it. Assange is vulnerable and there are too many strange coincidences with Wikileaks. But for writers to be at war with one another, as though they were celebrities themselves, this is pure narcissistic delusion.”The accusations regarding Wikileaks have generally been tied to their reputed love affair with Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu praises them while leaders across the Middle East remain silent, their military and intelligence analysts flooding the press with analytical charts and “white papers” intended to prove Wikileaks to be fraudulent and part of an intelligence operation by a hostile state, generally Israel or the American CIA.
Similarly, “alternative” journalists who either defend or criticize Wikileaks are subject to accusations of being “shills” for Israel, the “Illuminati” or a “Freemason” conpspriracy. Some have theorized that George Soros may be orchestrating all of it, the leaks, the attacks on the leaks, even the Swedish rape charges.
ASSANGE AND SWEDEN
Surprisingly, Julian Assange’s most effective protector is Israel Shamir, the anti-Zionist Israeli writer. His writings on Assange and the nature of the charges brought against him, characterized by Shamir as an attempt to silence Wikileaks through “trumped up charges” orchestrated by American intelligence agencies are convincing.
The sparce and insubstantial coverage of charges against Assange have left Sweden open for criticism and has added strength to Shamir’s case for Assange as a victim of misuse of criminal process.
GAME THEORY
Author and economist, Jeff Gates, has made the strongest case against Wikileaks. His supposition, that everything in the “Wikileaks myth” has been carefully orchestrated and timed to advance Israeli foreign policy is, to a large extent, backed by the analysis of former intelligence analyst and journalist Wayne Madsen and even former National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. In fact, a clear divide between military and intelligence professionals and the journalist community, both “mainstream” and “alternative” seems to be developing. From today’s UK Telegraph:
The timing of the Assange arrest, tied, not only to the news cycle but objective analysis that seems to indicate a strong political bias for Wikileaks, makes a powerful case for Wikileaks and Assange as “knights and bishops” in a global chess match where the press and public are “pawns.”Hail Julian Assange, international man of mystery, brave anti-war crusader, ultimate cyber-hero and now, according to his cultish followers, victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by the CIA, the Pentagon and other dark, oppressive forces….Confused? Concerned you may be reading a synopsis of a Stieg Larsson novel? You don’t need to be. According to Assange’s myriad supporters, he is clearly the target of a conspiracy orchestrated by an American government through agents within the Swedish legal systemAssange has flatly denied the allegations, stating that he had never had non-consensual sex with anyone anywhere. He is, of course, entitled to be regarded as innocent unless and until he is convicted in court of a crime. Judging how the Swedish authorities have handled matters thus far, a large dollop of scepticism is justified.
Interestingly, however, Assange and his loyal band are using this strange episode to fuel the myth that envelopes him. Wikileaks has broadcast seven messages about the story on Twitter, beginning with: “We were warned to expect ‘dirty tricks’. Now we have the first one.”
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