Australian island considers Assange monument

Magnetic Island, the island off the coast of Queensland, Australia where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange lived as a child, is considering putting up a monument of the hometown boy: Islanders are hosting a picnic at Picnic Bay on Sunday, to voice their support for the freedom of information fighter, the Townsville Bulletin reports. They will ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

Magnetic Island, the island off the coast of Queensland, Australia where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange lived as a child, is considering putting up a monument of the hometown boy:

Magnetic Island, the island off the coast of Queensland, Australia where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange lived as a child, is considering putting up a monument of the hometown boy:

Islanders are hosting a picnic at Picnic Bay on Sunday, to voice their support for the freedom of information fighter, the Townsville Bulletin reports.

They will also discuss plans to erect a monument to Mr Assange, to mark his childhood island home, and as a symbol of his battle for truth and justice.

Local activist David "Crusty" Herron, who in the past has floated the idea of Wikileaks-inspired public urinal in the past, believed a proper monument was still a good idea.

"He’s an award-winning journalist, who has shown the little bloke that he can’t be pushed around," he said.

Recent polls show that while Australians are split on their views of Assange, most support his legal case. The Ecuadorean government will likely soon announce a decision on whether to grant asylum to Assange, who is currently holed up at the country’s embassy in London. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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