Independent and Peaceful Australia Network(IPAN)
REMINDER: NEXT MEETING OF IPAN-Victoria
A speaker and discussion on the current situation in Syria, Iran and the Middle East - all welcome.
Wednesday 29 May
6pm
Level 4
Trades Hall
corner Lygon and Victoria streets
cream building at the back
Call 0417456001 if you can't find the building.
Agenda
1. Elections and US-Australia military alliance
2. IPAN National Conference in Darwin 2 - 4 August (new flyer below and attached)
- Joint military exercises in Queensland
3. Organising 4 July Forum in Melbourne. Richard Tanter and Fiona McCandless confirmed speakers to date.
4. Speaker and discussion on the situation in Syria and Iran - half an hour for speaker and discussion (or longer if time allows).
Also attached IPAN's most recent Media Release on Iran - US Fire on Iran Could Burn us all
5. Other business
National IPAN Conference in Darwin 2-4 August 2019
"Australia at the Crossroads: time for an independent foreign policy"
Australian parliament silent on 17 Assange espionage charges
#E8FFFF">The following is from Australian government, Labor opposition silent on espionage charges against Assange (28/5/19) by Oscar Grenfell | World Socialist Web Site:
By their silence, the Liberal-National government and Labor are signalling their support for the US-led persecution of Assange, over his role in the exposure of US war crimes, mass surveillance and diplomatic conspiracies around the world.
The political establishment is making clear that nothing will be done to prevent Assange's extradition from Britain to the US, where he would face a show-trial that would establish a precedent for the suppression of freedom of the press and free speech.
…
The refusal to defend Assange on the part of the official parties is in line with their collaboration in the US-led vendetta against him since 2010.
Successive Labor and Coalition governments have refused to exercise their legal discretion and diplomatic powers to protect Assange. Instead they have joined in the chorus of denunciations and aided the US intelligence agencies in their efforts to destroy WikiLeaks.
…
The refusal to defend Assange on the part of the official parties is in line with their collaboration in the US-led vendetta against him since 2010.
Successive Labor and Coalition governments have refused to exercise their legal discretion and diplomatic powers to protect Assange. Instead they have joined in the chorus of denunciations and aided the US intelligence agencies in their efforts to destroy WikiLeaks.
…
Labor and Coalition MPs made mealy-mouthed statements that they would provide him with unspecified consular assistance, committing them to nothing. With the assistance of the Greens, the unions and the pseudo-left, they buried the issue of Assange's plight throughout the official federal election campaign that began just hours after his detention by British police.
Now, senior political figures are voicing concerns that the government's abandonment of Assange may provoke widespread opposition from workers, students and young people, who rightly view him as a heroic figure who is being attacked for revealing the truth.
On Friday, former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr told the Guardian that the additional charges against Assange “change the game” and could “test the patience” of US allies, including Australia. He noted that the length of the maximum sentence against Assange made the charges against him almost as severe as those which attract capital punishment.
Carr issued a warning to the Coalition government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison that its Foreign Minister Marise Payne “needs to protect herself from the charge that she's failed in her duty to protect the life of an Australian citizen.”
Carr stated that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would likely provide Payne with “talking points” for discussions with her US, British and Swedish counterparts. Sweden has revived a sexual misconduct investigation into Assange, aimed at blackening his name and creating an alternate route for his extradition to the US.
“Not to do so would leave the minister exposed to withering criticism that they did not take all appropriate action that might have made a difference, mainly before the British court makes a decision,” he warned.
(The article goes on to goes on to point out Bob Carr's previous role as an effective agent for the U.S. government within the Australian Labor Party and questions the motives for his apparent support for Julian Assange. Whilst Bob Carr's previous record of support for the U.S. should not be overlooked, I think that it would be more helpful to Julian Assange to take Bob Carr's words at face value. We should ask Bob Carr to raise his voice more loudly for Julian Assange including on his own blog. A search "Julian Assange site:bobcarrblog.wordpress.com" found nothing!)