Police moved on activist Matthew Drake-Brockman, who had聽chained himself outside the office of his local Labor聽MP for Sydney聽Tanya Plibersek on November 17. He plans to return on聽November 27 at 8.30am to resume his protest after he obtains a police permit.
Drake-Brockman told 麻豆传媒 that聽Plibersek had聽鈥渞efused to meet with me as her constituent鈥 to discuss her聽speaking up against the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian聽Assange to the United States, currently a matter before the courts in Britain.
Plibersek did not respond to GL's request for comment.
鈥淛ournalists should be free to report without the fear of being tried and imprisoned for life by a foreign power,鈥 Drae-Brockman said.
鈥淚n 2013, Plibersek advocated strongly for ABC journalist Peter Greste鈥檚 freedom when he was imprisoned in Egypt for his reporting there. There鈥檚 no doubt Greste deserved Ms Plibersek鈥檚 support. The same principle applies here. Her double standards are unacceptable.鈥
Drake-Brockman has urged Plibersek to join federal Labor MPs who have spoken out against Assange's extradition. These are聽Julian Hill MP, Steve Georganas MP, Susan Templeman MP, Maria Vamvakinou MP, Josh Wilson MP聽and Tony Zappia MP in the Parliamentary Friends of the Bring Julian Assange Home group.
Drake-Brockman was involved in the international human shield movement during the invasion of Iraq in聽2003 and with international human rights monitoring in Palestine in聽2003. He stood as聽a federal candidate for Warringah聽 in聽2010, and ran as an independent for Wentworth in聽2019聽on a platform opposing Australia's military and diplomatic support for human rights abuses by Israel and Indonesia.聽
[Drake-Brockman is available for comment on 0413 696 216.]