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This is a very solid round-up of what faceless accounts have been spamming all over Twitter since this story emerged. These arguments are weak enough to strain
by elefanten 7y ago
This is a very solid round-up of what faceless accounts have been spamming all over Twitter since this story emerged.
These arguments are weak enough to strain credulity. Almost all of them can be answered by saying "the context is very different"
1. Yellow Vests - no overlap in what is being protested. Dissatisfaction with policy vs dissatisfaction with fundamental political rights = very different context.
2. Extradition with rule of law abiding country that isn't explicitly trying to silence your dissidents = very different context.
3. Assange situation is complex and one-off, and the charges are more complicated than just reporting on stuff. It is also being openly discussed, scrutinized and will be prosecuted openly in a legal system. What routinely happens with dissidents and party critics extradited to China is very different.
4. HK was under British rule for a long time and there is a large English-speaking base.
5. Narrative about HK has to do with categorically different political / economic freedoms than the mainland. There's subtlety beyond a comparison like "what will be the bigger GDP"
- DiogenesKynikos 7y agoThe "Assange situation" is not complex, and it's not one-off. He published numerous secret documents that were deeply embarrassing to the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and many other countries. He is being targeted for entirely political reasons, and the cooperation of the British and Ecuadorian authorities is likewise politically motivated. In the case of Britain, the motivation is twofold. Assange released documents about the UK government's actions, and the government wants to maintain good relations with the United States. In the case of Ecuador, the motivation is better relations with the United States and access to IMF loans. The persecution of Assange is not one-off, because it sets a precedent for future prosecution of journalists in the United States, and it establishes that journalists are in danger in any country that has an extradition agreement with the United States. Given all the concern about the Hong Kong extradition law being used to target critics of the Chinese government, I would expect the same people who oppose the HK law to also vigorously defend Julian Assange against extradition to the United States for political crimes.
- guilhas 7y agoAlso after the recent Assange developments, there was the Australia ABC raid after another journalist/leaker, with a warrant to “view/change/delete” anything in the station. And 2 more journalists arrested in France, covering the yellow vests, possibly not “correctly”.
- guilhas 7y agoThose were not arguments, it is what I see and might consider fact. That I would like people to give their opinions or just think about it. USA is law abiding? It is the country with more prisoners global and per capita. Doesn’t look good. And Guantanamo? Patriot act? Also not when bombing other countries. They have shown more than once USA powerful are above the law. Perhaps they should not accept extradition to China and also rescind to USA.