http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/bpEtIt7UgIg/
Reactions to the arrest of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange poured in on social media, with pro-Assange Trump supporters and press freedom advocates expressing dismay, while neoconservative NeverTrumpers and Hillary Clinton supporters celebrated.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, currently under siege for her persistent failure to deliver Brexit, praised the arrest of Assange in Parliament today. “In the United Kingdom, nobody is above the law” said May.
British Foreign Minister Sajid Javid also praised Ecuadorian officials for their cooperation in handing Assange.
Reactions from American commentators also flooded in. Former Hillary Clinton adviser and president of the Center for American Progress accused Assange of “fascist behavior” and “undermin[ing] democracy.”
There are many cultists on this site, but the Assange cultists are the worst. Assange was the agent of a proto fascist state, Russia, to undermine democracy. That is fascist behavior. Anyone on the left should abhor what he did. Not celebrate it.
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) April 11, 2019
“It’s a great day!” said Claude Taylor, a former Clinton staffer who now runs an anti-Trump PAC.
It’s a great day! Not quite great enough for Julian to be clutching Roger Stone’s pic. It’s Gore Vidal. https://t.co/0DGFhC1xFO
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) April 11, 2019
Taylor also attacked “enablers” of Assange including Sean Hannity and Nigel Farage, who he alleged visited Assange.
Does anyone have a photo spread of all the enablers and fellow travelers who visited Assange? Hannity, Nigel Farange, Chucky Johnson, Dana Rohrbacher? Who am I missing. https://t.co/u5AthQ6Hl4
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) April 11, 2019
Pam Keith, a former Democrat congressional candidate in Florida, called Assange a “knowing conspirator with Russia to attack an election.”
Assange is NOT a whistleblower!! He is a publisher of whatever he likes for the reasons he likes. He was also a knowing conspirator with Russia to attack an election. F THAT six ways to Sunday!!
— Pam Keith (@PamKeithFL) April 11, 2019
Amanda Marcotte, writer for the far-left progressive website Salon said she would enjoy a “dark cackle” at the WikiLeaks publisher being prosecuted.
Is Assange ends up in an American prison, put there by the administration he worked so hard to install, I admit I will enjoy a dark cackle at the irony.
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) April 11, 2019
Never-Trump talking head Rick Wilson called Assange a “b**ch,” telling WikiLeaks to “cry more.”
That bitch Assange can’t take a collar. Should have walked out like a man, head high. https://t.co/v3J26XbnCx
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 11, 2019
Cry more https://t.co/leHQqxFNzV
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 11, 2019
Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who was a vocal opponent of President Trump during the 2016 election, called Assange a “lackey” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It’s good that Assange will be getting his day in court but let’s be clear: Vlad Putin doesn’t give a damn about human rights.
Dictator defends his lackey.
Story at eleven https://t.co/3UzvT1wqIw— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) April 11, 2019
The former President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, who originally granted Assange asylum in his country’s embassy in London in 2012, came out strongly against his successor’s decision to hand the WikiLeaks publisher over to U.K. police.
Correa called his successor, current President Lenin Moreno, the “greatest traitor in Ecuadorian and Latin American history.”
The greatest traitor in Ecuadorian and Latin American history, Lenin Moreno, allowed the British police to enter our embassy in London to arrest Assange.
Moreno is a corrupt man, but what he has done is a crime that humanity will never forget. https://t.co/XhT51MA6c6— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) April 11, 2019
Many Trump supporters expressed similar dismay with the arrest of Assange, calling the publisher a “hero” for WikiLeaks’ efforts to expose wrongdoing by the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. “A sad day for whistleblowers everywhere,” said the highest-voted commenter on The_Donald, the center of Trump supporters on Reddit.
Populist commentator star Paul Joseph Watson, who has previously appeared on Breitbart News Daily to discuss YouTube censorship, urged Trump to pardon the WikiLeaks publisher.
“It’s time to find out whether Trump sides with his base or with the deep state that has been trying to subvert his presidency for the past two years” said Watson.
It’s time to find out whether Trump sides with his base or with the deep state that has been trying to subvert his presidency for the past two years.https://t.co/IxOkAEp1Aj
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) April 11, 2019
Assange exposed war crimes committed at the behest of neo-con warmongers.
It was the war crimes that harmed America’s reputation, not Wikileaks.
This is perfectly in line with the non-interventionist, America first platform Trump ran on.
Trump must pardon Julian Assange.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) April 11, 2019
Whistleblower Edward Snowden, who exposed mass-scale surveillance of Americans by James Clapper’s NSA in 2013, tweeted his support for Assange. “This is a dark moment for press freedom,” said Snowden.
Images of Ecuador’s ambassador inviting the UK’s secret police into the embassy to drag a publisher of–like it or not–award-winning journalism out of the building are going to end up in the history books. Assange’s critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom. https://t.co/ys1AIdh2FP
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019
Snowden also drew attention to a formal UN ruling that the detention of the WikiLeaks publisher was arbitrary and a violation of human rights.
Important background for journalists covering the arrest of Julian #Assange by Ecuador: the United Nations formally ruled his detention to be arbitrary, a violation of human rights. They have repeatedly issued statements calling for him to walk free–including very recently. pic.twitter.com/fr12rYdWUF
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019
Some left-wing journalists criticized progressive media and pro-Clinton figures for cheering the arrest.
“Progressive” media who spent three years demonizing WikiLeaks because they published damaging information on their beloved Hillary and DNC have created the conditions where Dems will cheer the arrest of Assange, rather than call it what it is: an extreme attack on press freedoms
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 11, 2019
Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept highlighted a previous investigation into WikiLeaks by the Obama DOJ.
This from @Guardian reporter @ewenmacaskill is critical. Note Obama DOJ looked but found no evidence that Assange worked with Manning, but even if he had, journalists often work with sources. Still a huge threat to press freedom, as @dankennedy_nu argued https://t.co/QeIbnUQwdk https://t.co/m2fDZASppa
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 11, 2019
He called on fellow left-wing journalists to “take a hard look in the mirror.”
If you’re a US media star who has spent 2 years claiming to be so concerned about press freedoms over Trump’s mean tweets about your friends, but don’t raise your voice in protest over this grave attack on press freedom, take a hard look in the mirror https://t.co/b32TZ7vatx
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 11, 2019
Christopher Deloire, executive director of the press advocacy organization Reporters Without Borders said that targeting the WikiLeaks publisher is a “punitive measure” that would set a “dangerous precedent” for journalists.
Targeting Assange because of Wikileaks’ provision of information to journalists that was in the public interest would be a punitive measure and would set a dangerous precedent for journalists or their sources that the US may wish to pursue in future @wikileaks @rebecca_vincent
— Christophe Deloire (@cdeloire) April 11, 2019
One America News host Jack Posobiec drew attention to the journalism awards received by Julian Assange, and questioned whether the progressives who supported President Obama’s commutation of Chelsea Manning’s sentence would support a pardon for the WikiLeaks publisher.
List of Jouralism Honors and Awards received by Julian Assange, including multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations pic.twitter.com/r3Ue2M1UOJ
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 11, 2019
Here’s a question:
If you supported Barack Obama pardoning Chelsea Manning, do you also support a pardon for Julian Assange?
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 11, 2019
Posobiec, who campaigned for Trump in 2016 prior to entering journalism, also drew attention to the President’s frequent use of WikiLeaks material on the campaign trail.
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 11, 2019
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 https://t.co/UibnIfHWDs
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 11, 2019
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 11, 2019
British comedian and free speech champion Mark “Count Dankula” Meecham questioned whether mainstream journalists would support the WikiLeaks publisher.
All of the journalists around the world will surely be supporting one of their fellow journalists who is being arrested for doing journalism.
Surely they will.
….right? https://t.co/rvkK7QHCjv
— Count Dankula🏴 (@CountDankulaTV) April 11, 2019
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter, Gab.ai and add him on Facebook. Email tips and suggestions to allumbokhari@protonmail.com.
