# Is Julian Assange a rapist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 2, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700 "2010-12-02T19:30:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/81 "2010-12-07T17:04:56Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > So does Sweden have the world’s shittiest condoms, or does he still carry some dry-rotted Australian condoms in his wallet, from his teenage years? Seeing as how Assange is apparently so cheap he makes his hook-ups pay for his train fare, he may be buying expired condoms from the five-and-dime. ---
**Author:** ![Burton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Burton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burton)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/82 "2010-12-07T17:14:38Z")
Is he a rapist? I don’t know but it seems way too coincidental for the charges to be dropped then reinstated after he pissed off the US government. Sexual allegations are a tried and true way of smearing someone and in this case getting him into the clutches of the United States government. You don’t suppose Sweden would be trying to extradite Ben Rothlisberger if his bad behavior had occurred there do you? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/83 "2010-12-07T17:15:35Z")
[Assange arrested in London.](http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/07/uk.wikileaks.investigation/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/84 "2010-12-07T17:28:27Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Assange arrested in London.](http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/07/uk.wikileaks.investigation/index.html) Seems kinda dick of the judge to deny bail. How much of a flight risk can he be if he turned himself in? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/85 "2010-12-07T17:30:35Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Seems kinda dick of the judge to deny bail. How much of a flight risk can he be if he turned himself in? Yeah, how much of a flight risk can a foreign, homeless, paranoid recluse be? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/86 "2010-12-07T17:34:14Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Yeah, how much of a flight risk can a foreign, homeless, paranoid recluse be? Yes, of course he’s a huge flight risk. I don’t care if he turned himself in or not. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/87 "2010-12-07T17:36:06Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Seems kinda dick of the judge to deny bail. How much of a flight risk can he be if he turned himself in? Wouldn’t that just mean anyone who planned to flee the jurisdiction would turn themself in, thereby proving they weren’t a flight risk? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/88 "2010-12-07T17:42:08Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Wouldn’t that just mean anyone who planned to flee the jurisdiction would turn themself in, thereby proving they weren’t a flight risk? If they fled before hand, they wouldn’t need to put up the bail money. And the London gov’t has been saying they were going to arrest him for several days, its not like he hasn’t had the chance. I’d say if he was going to make a run for it, he would’ve done it already. After all, getting out of England is probably a lot easier to do _before_ they issue an arrest warrant. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/89 "2010-12-07T17:45:21Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > If they fled before hand, they wouldn’t need to put up the bail money. But fleeing when you have a warrant out for you is probably harder than fleeing after you have been given bail, and been declared not a flight risk. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/90 "2010-12-07T17:58:44Z")
> [@villa](#): > > But fleeing when you have a warrant out for you is probably harder than fleeing after you have been given bail, and been declared not a flight risk. I’m not sure thats true, but either way, he’s had plenty of time to leave England before _either_ of those things were true. In anycase, it seems harsh to lock him up for three weeks when charges haven’t even been filed _and_ he turned himself in. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/91 "2010-12-07T18:01:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes, of course he’s a huge flight risk. I don’t care if he turned himself in or not. Why? It’s obvious he decided to turn himself in on advice of counsel, or as a move calculated to further his agenda or make his point or whatever, or both. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/92 "2010-12-07T18:14:50Z")
So you’ve got a guy who’s becoming a worldwide household name in record time, and now he gets arrested for the kind of thing that most guys would brag about (ok, not the non-condom part, the rest of it). What next? He gets arrested for wrestling a lion atop a jet fighter while roped together with a playboy model? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/93 "2010-12-07T18:17:37Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > So you’ve got a guy who’s becoming a worldwide household name in record time, and now he gets arrested for the kind of thing that most guys would brag about (ok, not the non-condom part, the rest of it). It looks like he was arrested for not stopping sex when he was asked. Who would brag about that? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/94 "2010-12-07T18:26:18Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Why? It’s obvious he decided to turn himself in on advice of counsel, or as a move calculated to further his agenda or make his point or whatever, or both. I don’t care what his motive was for turning himself in, because that isn’t anything we can know for sure. He’s an expert at disappearing, he’s got lots of people wanting to kill him, and that makes him a flight risk. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Dastardly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@Dick\_Dastardly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dick_Dastardly)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/95 "2010-12-07T18:39:31Z")
And they say Americans don’t do irony. Read and marvel : **5.30pm:** With perfect timing an email arrives from Philip Crowley at the state department: The United States is pleased to announce that it will host Unesco’s World Press Freedom Day event in 2011, from 1-3 May in Washington, DC. Ironic? Read the next paragraph from the press release: The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression. At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age. > **[The arrest of Julian Assange: as it happened](https://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2010/dec/07/wikileaks-us-embassy-cables-live-updates)** > > Follow the latest reaction and fallout as the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is denied bail, and the latest leaked cables reveal US plans to defend Poland and Baltic states against Russia 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hawkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@Hawkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkins)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/96 "2010-12-07T18:43:53Z")
Whoopie Goldberg says it was rape, but not rape rape. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/97 "2010-12-07T18:58:55Z")
Indeed - he was charged with one kind of leak for committing another kind. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/98 "2010-12-07T19:05:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It looks like he was arrested for not stopping sex when he was asked. Who would brag about that? I haven’t seen it put like that on any of the reports I’d seen. Apparently neither A nor B considered it rape. But nonetheless, I should be more sensitive in a thread (ostensibly) about rape. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/99 "2010-12-07T19:13:25Z")
Here’s the thing- there were two incidents and two sets of victims (one with two women, another with a single woman?). Here’s the charges “Sweden first issued the arrest warrant for Assange in November, saying he is suspected of one count of rape, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of unlawful coercion – or illegal use of force – allegedly committed in August.” Now, Assange’s\* Lawyers claims \*it’s all consensual, all based upon non-use of a condom. So? Do we accept blindly that someones defense attorneys side of the story is the correct one? In one case, we have allegedly heard from one set of the victims, but again, from what I have seen “according to Assanges lawyers”. Apparently according to wiki, the rape charges were dropped, then after new evidence, re-brought up. Thus, my WAG is that one set of victims/incident is along the lines of “no condom” but the other is more like “he didn’t stop when I asked him to”, which _is_ rape. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700/100 "2010-12-07T19:19:22Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If that’s what he did, it’s rape. I still find the timing of these allegations extremely convenient and suspicious, though. . Why? I mean he’s been doing this and pissing governments (even the US government) off for 4 years now. And Assange was only with one of the women due to Assanges Wikileaks newsconference. eta: re my earlier post- ah, no, now I see it was two incidents, each with a single woman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-julian-assange-a-rapist/562700.md?page=6)