Pilger began his remarks by citing leaked documents from the British Defence Ministry and the Pentagon, in which WikiLeaks was described as a threat due to its exposure of the secret dealings of government. The Pentagon document, dated March 2008, called for a campaign to “destroy WikiLeaks’ centre of gravity, its public trust” through “threats of exposure and criminal prosecution.” Pilger told the audience: “The real threat is not WikiLeaks or Julian Assange, but you. The real threat is you finding out the truth about those who pretend to be democratic, and to act in your interests, and to promote a peaceful world. The real threat is you being able to call your government to account.” Pilger proceeded to call for the broadest political action in defence of Assange and WikiLeaks. “Unless we make our voices heard now,” he said, “Julian Assange is likely to end up in a Kafkaesque judicial system in the US, which is now so corrupted that not a single detainee since 9/11 has been accorded any redress in America’s courts, including innocent people detained for years and tortured.” Pilger announced the presence in the front row of the audience of former Guantánamo Bay detainee David Hicks, provoking lengthy, thunderous applause. David Hicks, who was seized in Afghanistan during the 2001 US invasion, was imprisoned as an “enemy combatant” for six years. He suffered severe abuse and torture, with the full support of the former Howard conservative government in Australia. He only …
Sincere thanks for sharing this imporant video. Excellent documentaries from throughout Pilger’s career available on his site, highly recommended.
HEAR HEAR
Thanks for sharing. John Pilger’s words and courage are a beacon of hope and light in an otherwise bleak and dark world.
Thanks for sharing. John Pilger’s words and courage are a beacon of hope and light in an otherwise bleak world.
I am not afraid of the terrorists taking our freedoms from us it is the government that passes laws that would take our freedom from us the terrorist hits ever now and then but the policeman kills people every day I mean innocent people that who I’m afraid of it takes law enforcement to have a police state most policemen would love to kill and to arrest innocent people and put them in gas chambers that’s a type terrorist I’m afraid of not some rag head
Anyone who dislikes these words are trolls to the system.