WikiLeaks chief: Charge Palin, Huckabee with ‘incitements to kill’

[jmdrake]

There was a commentator who said he should be hunted down and illegally shot. That is incitement to violence, imo, and he should be prosecuted. This sort of speech isn't protected, neither is terroristic threats. Perhaps what Palin said didn't go as far as this one guy (whose name I can't remember).

That's true. But the article (and OP title) said Palin and Huckabe. That's probably because the commentator you mentioned isn't really noteworthy, after all you can't remember who he is.

Anyway, here's the actual WikiLeaks press release.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/3L8MM...leaks-charge-palin-huckabee-incitements-kill/
WIKILEAKS PRESS RELEASE
10 Jan 2010, 10:15 PM EST

“WikiLeaks: treat incitement seriously or expect more Gabrielle Gifford killing sprees.”

Wikileaks today offered sympathy and condolences to the victims of the Tucson shooting together with best wishes for the recovery of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, a democrat from Arizona's 8th district, was the target of a shooting spree at a Jan 8 political event in which six others were killed.

Tucson Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, leading the investigation into the Gifford shooting, said that "vitriolic rhetoric" intended to "inflame the public on a daily basis ... has [an] impact on people, especially who are unbalanced personalities to begin with." Dupnik also observed that officials and media personalities engaging in violent rhetoric "have to consider that they have some responsibility when incidents like this occur and may occur in the future."

WikiLeaks staff and contributors have also been the target of unprecedented violent rhetoric by US prominent media personalities, including Sarah Palin, who urged the US administration to “Hunt down the WikiLeaks chief like the Taliban”. Prominent US politician Mike Huckabee called for the execution of WikiLeaks spokesman Julian Assange on his Fox News program last November, and Fox News commentator Bob Beckel, referring to Assange, publicly called for people to "illegally shoot the son of a bitch." US radio personality Rush Limbaugh has called for pressure to "Give [Fox News President Roger] Ailes the order and [then] there is no Assange, I'll guarantee you, and there will be no fingerprints on it.", while the Washington Times columnist Jeffery T. Kuhner titled his column “Assassinate Assange” captioned with a picture Julian Assange overlayed with a gun site, blood spatters, and “WANTED DEAD or ALIVE” with the alive crossed out.

John Hawkins of Townhall.com has stated "If Julian Assange is shot in the head tomorrow or if his car is blown up when he turns the key, what message do you think that would send about releasing sensitive American data?"

Christian Whiton in a Fox News opinion piece called for violence against WikiLeaks publishers and editors, saying the US should "designate WikiLeaks and its officers as enemy combatants, paving the way for non-judicial actions against them."

WikiLeaks spokesman Julian Assange said: "No organisation anywhere in the world is a more devoted advocate of free speech than Wikileaks but when senior politicians and attention seeking media commentators call for specific individuals or groups of people to be killed they should be charged with incitement -- to murder. Those who call for an act of murder deserve as significant share of the guilt as those raising a gun to pull the trigger."

“WikiLeaks has many young staff, volunteers and supporters in the same geographic vicinity as these the broadcast or circulation of these incitements to kill. We have also seen mentally unstable people travel from the US and other counties to other locations. Consequently we have to engage in extreme security measures.”

“We call on US authorities and others to protect the rule of law by aggressively prosecuting these and similar incitements to kill. A civil nation of laws can not have prominent members of society constantly calling for the murder and assassination of other individuals or groups.”

More examples:

http://www.peopleokwithmurderingassange.com/

 

[jmdrake]

One other note. While I think it's a bit of a stunt to time this press release to the latest shooting and to quote that idiot sheriff "Dupenik", I understand why it was done this way. Hit some irons while they are hot.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

@ the 1:00 minute mark



Remember the magic words that these politicians use to keep them from being indited... cause it's all about semantics: "I Think..."
Huckabee calls for leaker to be executed http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/huckabee-wants-leaker-exe...
The person that gave WikiLeaks 250,000 secret diplomatic cables deserves to die, says one Fox News host who is widely thought to be planning a 2012 presidential run.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was caught on video at a book signing at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif. saying that the leaker should be executed.
"Whoever in our government leaked that information is guilty of treason," Huckabee said. "I think anything less than execution is too kind a penalty."

 

[CUnknown]

"Fox News commentator Bob Beckel, referring to Assange, publicly called for people to "illegally shoot the son of a bitch.""

There it is, Bob Beckel was his name. That is a clear case of incitement, imo. Palin and Huckabee, yeah it's less clear, but I think there might still be a case to be made there.

 

[hugolp]

Im with Assange. The whole linking of Palin to the Tucson attack is bullshit and actually discusting. But the reaction of a part of the republican party, not only Palin, to the wikileaks issue was discusting. Openly calling for the assasination of Assange is out of limits.

 

[specsaregood]

Well, technically she said the government should "hunt him down like the leaders of Al Qaeda". That's at least one step (maybe two) of saying he should be legally shot.

Perfectly legal, and no different than arguing for the death penalty of an admitted murderer. Because if the government does the killing, its perfectly legal......

 

[silentshout]

Oh if they were talking about shooting the wikileaks guy, I agree completely. The release of classified documents is an act of war if not committed by a citizen and treason if it was , both punishable by death...so I don't see anything wrong with that if that is the case....

Just..wow.

 

[RyanRSheets]

It's now clear that Assange is just an opportunistic dumbass looking for some time in the spotlight.

I will vehemently defend him against charges that he did anything illegal, but I don't support him and wish he would just go away.

I think it is fair to say he's enjoying his time in the spotlight, but I applaud what he is doing here. Amidst the dispute over the SarahPAC image, he has given a clear example of Sarah Palin calling for the murder of someone. You can't blame him for using this.

 

[Maximus]

Like others at first I thought he was talking about the AZ shooting. He is right on. People are openly calling for his assisination.

 

[t0rnado]

It's not illegal to state that someone should be shot. It's illegal to state that you will shoot someone with specific details.

I'm normally on Assange's side, but he's attempting to benefit from this shooting and bring more attention to himself. For someone who is protected under the 1st Amendment, he sure as hell doesn't seem to respect anyone else's free speech.

 

[RyanRSheets]

That is nonsense. The same freedom of speech that protects Wikileaks protects them. Incitement has to be more direct and wilful to opportunity.

I never supported 'Assange' per se, but I support freedom of speech, regardless of the subject of the charge.

I agree. Neither should be charged. Words are not actions. If someone says something and someone else goes and does it, of their own free will, the person who did it should be charged. The best way to deal with words is to reveal their stupidity.

 

[oyarde]

Uh... what are you talking about? I think they should be charged. That's illegal ... you can't go on TV and say you think someone should be illegally shot. I think he at least has a case.

WELL , WHAT ABOUT THE ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THEN ? They used the same chart with bullseye targets in 06 if I recall ..

 

[oyarde]

"Fox News commentator Bob Beckel, referring to Assange, publicly called for people to "illegally shoot the son of a bitch.""

There it is, Bob Beckel was his name. That is a clear case of incitement, imo. Palin and Huckabee, yeah it's less clear, but I think there might still be a case to be made there.

Funny you mention Beckel , he was using " targeting " charts years ago .

 

[sailingaway]

Well Assange has the freedom of speech to call for the arrest of the people who have called for his death using their freedom of speech.

And I have the freedom of speech to say that is nonsense, and lessens his credibility, at least with me.