YOUR VIEWS

Julian Assange - Campaigner of impeccable character or receiver of stolen property and more?
AM I the only one losing the plot here. The organisation he founded and leads receives confidential information that has been stolen or shall we say removed without authorisation – sounds more polite and therefore more acceptable doesn't it. Having received this his organisation then distributes this confidential information to anyone who wishes to receive it and do with it what they wish, irrespective of the consequences and without responsibility.

Meanwhile he stands accused of several sexual misdemeanors with two women in Sweden – whose identities have now been revealed contrary Swedish and UK law. Some say the accusations are politically motivated, but whether they are or they are not seem irrelevant - they have been made. They might even be malicious or revengeful, either way they should be heard, confronted and proved – not side stepped or denigrated and dismissed because the motivation does not fit with the popular consensus.

Let's just leave behind the clamour for ‘freedom of information and democracy' for one moment – two very worthy and fundamental principles to be upheld – and recognise that there are two other equally important issues here. Property ownership and personal behaviour. I have no intention of exploring the damage that leaking confidential information has or could have or whether we have the right to know what one country thinks about another.

It just seems to me that a large swathe of the media and political commentators have lost sight of the fact that the accusations of theft and sexual behaviour are being ignored because a large number of people are jumping onto a bandwagon of moral indignation in defense of an individual against the State. But not any old State of course it has to be the media's favourite to attack - America. The Anglo-Saxon mentality is so good at pulling things or people down that we forget it was America who bailed us out of two world wars and have basically protected western democracy ever since, but hey what does that matter.

There are many bosses of organisations of impeccable character who have used their position to further their sexual interest in a colleague unintionally or otherwise and have quite rightly been forced to account for their actions and behaviour, equally there have been many who have unintentionally or otherwise taken into their possession something which has been procurred illegally and when discovered have equally been forced to account for their actions - so why not Mr Assange?

No, I'm definitely feeling in the minority here - I sense from general media reporting that there is some greater good being performed by him and his organisation which renders the issues of theft and dubious sexual activity under Swedish law somewhat irrelevant and by default acceptable. That the media have appointed themselves both judge and jury and have decided that their hero of the moment is Mr Assange, who's organisation now provides them with information that fills countless column inches and sells newspapers for them.

Perhaps I've not lost the plot then - perhaps it is just another self-serving media conspiracy in pursuit of good journalism and everyone's right to know everyone else's business. Perhaps a legal secretary at Mr Assange's lawyer's firm should remove without authorisation all of his personal and private confidential correspondence and information - but that would theft wouldn't it? But don't I have the right to know what he thinks and what he is doing?

Andy Pratt, Palma.