The mother of Australian-born whistleblower Julian Assange has announced she will be protesting at Parliament House next Thursday, when US President Barack Obama is due to visit Canberra. Christine Assange said she will protest in support of her son, founder of WikiLeaks at Parliament House which will undoubtedly be tightly secured for the Presidents visit. “I'll get as close as I can,” she said. Christine Assange fears her son will be rendered to the United States after recently losing a fight against his extradition from Britain to Sweden, where he is charged on allegations of rape and sexual assault. “I'm asking Australians around the country on November 17th to refuse to celebrate the Obama visit, and instead replace it with a day of support for Julian,” said Christine Assange. “Both political parties have been spineless in standing up to the US over this. Whatever the US wants, the Gillard government is handing it over. And the opposition isn't much better.” The Australian Foreign Ministry has warned it “cannot directly intervene in legal processes of other countries.” Obama's visit to Canberra will mark the 60th anniversary of the military alliance between Australia and the United States and stress an increasing US diplomatic and military focus on the Pacific region. BM
