First paragraph (Teaser):

The US led smear and hatred campaign against Julian Assange and his close co workers also affects important adherents, like Israel Shamir
As well by Domscheit-Berg, ex second Wikileaks man, as by newsmedia as the Guardian and the Dutch RTL News, Shamir is wrongly accused of Holocaust denial and anti-semitism

Rest of the text:

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Assange has links with ''dubious people'' - Smear campaign against Israel Shamir

Dear Editor and Readers

FOREWORD

As you all know, a US led hunting campaign was started against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange because of his revelations of US war-crimes and the use of their foreign policy in the world [1]
Therefore solidarity with Assange and Wikileaks is of the greatest importance

See also

http://www.phillyimc.org/en/arrest-case-julian-assangeattack-freedom-pre...

But not only Assange is scapegoat, but all the people, who support or work for him are facing risks of whether prosecution, or a smear campaign.

Known is the US ''order'' to Twitter to handle over details about 5 Wikileaks activists, of course Assange himself, but also an Icelandic member of parliament, famous Dutch hacker Gonggrijp and Bradley Manning, the courageous US Army Intelligence analyst, who was arrested for alleged leaking information regarding American war-crimes in Iraq [2].

Recently a new scapegoat is tageted, Israel Shamir, human rights champion of the Middle Eastern conflict.

Direct cause was the book of former Wikileaks second man Mr Daniel Domscheit-Berg, ''Inside Wikileaks''.

Although he has the right to write it, I can't appreciate his timing, now Assange is facing possible extradiction to Sweden and still worse, US charges with the risk of extradiction [to the US] [3]
And with his writing, revealing unnesserary personal details about Assange, he is violating as well Assange as Wikileaks.

But there is more

He also refers to Assange's ''links with dubious people'', naming Israel Shamir as a ''famous Holicaust denier and anti-semite'' [4].

ROLE OF THE GUARDIAN:

A great number of newsmedia took the newsmessage, among else, of course, the Guardian.

But in contrary with most other papers, which simply mentioned Domscheit-Berg's opinion about Israel Shamir, The Guardian accepted it as a fact, calling in its title Israel Shamir a holocaust denier, without giving Israel Shamir the opportunity to defend himself.

See

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/31/wikileaks-holocaust-denier-h...

This is inproper journalism

Well, Israel Shamir is not a Holocaust denier, not an anti-semite.

He only critizes the misuse of the Holocaust for propagandistic goals.

His anti-semitism is nonsense also.

He is a political adversary of the STATE OF ISRAEL, as well with regard to its occupation of Palestine as the existence of the zionistic model [5].

The most ridiculous about the anti-senitisn accusation is however the fact, that Shamir himself is a Jewish Israeli.

How then could he be an anti-semite ?

To confront the Guardian with his lack of complete and proper journalism, I have written underlying comment (Notes, section A).

I also have written my critical reaction on the Dutch RTL News [Teletext], which calls Israel Shamir a right wing extrenist, holocaust denier and anti-semite.

See directly under the notes of the Guardian Letter (Notes, section B).

It became clear, RTL News had this information derived from the Guardian.

Giving proper newsinformation is the most important journalistic obligation of newsmedia.

With the Giardian smear newsmessage, they are violating as well Israel Shamir, as Wiileaks and Assange.

Kind greetings
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands

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NOTES

[1]

INDYMEDIA PHILADELPHIA
ARREST CASE OF JULIAN ASSANGE/ATTACK ON THE FREEDOM OF PRESS
ASTRID ESSED

http://www.phillyimc.org/en/arrest-case-julian-assangeattack-freedom-pre...

[2]

BBC NEWS
US WANTS TWITTER DETAILS OF WIKILEAKS ACTIVISTS
8 JANUARY 2011

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12141530

BRADLEY MANNING SUPPORT NETWORK
''Exposing warcrimes is not a crime''

http://www.bradleymanning.org/

Request for sign the petition on behalf of Bradley Manning

http://www.standwithbrad.org/

[3]

INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE
US TARGETS TWITTER IN BID TO TRAP ASSANGE
15 FEBRUARY 2011

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27477.htm

[4]

OTTAWA CITIZEN
ASSANGE TELL-ALL SPARKS WAR OF WORDS
11 FEBRUARY 2011

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/todays-paper/Assange+tell+sparks+words...

[5]

ISRAEL SHAMIR, a leading Russian Israeli writer, is a champion of the "One Man, One Vote, One State" solution seeking to unite Palestine & Israel in one democratic state. Shamir's work and that of his contributors speaks to the aspirations of both the Israelis and the Palestinians seeking an end to the bloodshed, true democracy and lasting peace.

Source

THE WRITINGS OF ISRAEL SHAMIR, CHAMPIONING DEMOCRACY FOR ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

http://www.israelshamir.net/

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A

LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN
ABOUT YOUR SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST ISRAEL SHAMIR
14 FEBRUARY 2011

TO THE EDITOR AND STAFF OF THE GUARDIAN
REGARDING YOUR SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST MR ISRAEL SHAMIR, ACCUSING HIM OF ''HOLOCAUST DENIAL'' AND ''ANTI-SEMITISM''

Summary

To my opinion Mr Shamir is unjustly accused of Holocaust denial and anti-semitism.

Also his right on defense against those serious accusations has been denied and there is no reference to his website, which is necessary for the public to control your allegations.

See the article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/31/wikileaks-holocaust-denier-h...

Mr Shamir will get a copy of this letter to you

 

Dear Editor and Staff

I have learnt with indignation about your smear campaign against Mr Israel Shamir, a well known writer and journalist, accusing him of ''notorious Holocaust denial'' and ''anti-semitism.

I refer to the article of two of your journalists, Mr David Leigh and Luke Harding [1].

As you know, the article is written with regard to the connection between Mr Shamir and the founder of Wikileaks, Mr Julian Assange [2].

I

Holocaust denial:

When referring to Holocaust denial, by the big public the connection with anti-semitism is made, although that is not always the case.

There are writers, who deny the Holocaust out of anti-semitism
However there is a group [to which Israel Shamir belongs] , who is critical against the propagandistic misuse of the Holocaust [3].

I quote Mr Shamir

''''This site and its editors take no point of view on the subject of holocaust. We neither affirm nor deny any question of fact regarding World War II. However we reject the doomed attempts to create a new pagan religion, a parody of Christianity, from the World-War-II-based narrative. Whatever are our feelings and attitudes towards the holocaust narrative, we fully reject its deification. '' [4].

For example :

The deification of the Holocaust is done by the mostly extreme right wing Israeli politicians [denying the Palestinian human rights], who misuse the horrors of the Holocaust to justify Israeli occupation and warcrimes against the Palestinians [5].

With regard to this, Mr Shamir is right when stating, that Holocaust denial an such is no crime and that for example the Nakba denial doesn't meet the same indignation [6].

II

Anti-semitism

I quote a sentence in your Guardian article

''He is notorious for Holocaust denial and publishing a string of antisemitic articles.''

May I remind you of the fact, that far from being an ''anti-semite'', Mr Shamiir is an anti-zionist, who want the zionistic structure of the State of Israel being dissolved and replaced by one secular State Palestine, with equal rights for Jewish Israeli and Palestinians.

I quote from the website of Mr Shamir :

''ISRAEL SHAMIR, a leading Russian Israeli writer, is a champion of the "One Man, One Vote, One State" solution seeking to unite Palestine & Israel in one democratic state. Shamir's work and that of his contributors speaks to the aspirations of both the Israelis and the Palestinians seeking an end to the bloodshed, true democracy and lasting peace.'' [7].

Whether one agrees with those views or not [I agree], there is no connection however with anti-semitism.

Further your accusation is ridiculous, since Mr Shamir himself is a Jewish-Israeli.

How then he can be an anti-semite ?

III

The right to defense
Website of Mr Shamir

I think it's very reprehensible, that in your article one fundamental journalistic principle has been violated, namely the right of Mr Shamir to defend himself.

In this case you should have approached Shamir for a comment, or at least mention the link to his website, so thart the public could judge for themselves.

To my opinion, you owe Mr Shamir an apology, accusing him of those serious facts without giving him a chance to defend himself.

RESUMING

The journalism in this article has been incomplete and not objective, since the points of view of Mr Shamir have not been checked sufficiently.

Also his right on defense has been ignored.

I speak out hope, that your article will meet the standards of journalistic values in the future, especially when a vulnerable subject as the Holocaust is involved.

Thank you for reading my comment,

Kind regards
Astrid Essed
human rights activist

Amsterdam
The Netherlands

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NOTES BELONGING TO LETTER OF THE GUARDIAN

[1]

THE GUARDIAN
HOLOCAUST DENIER IN CHARGE OF HANDLING MOSCOW CABLES
31 JANUARY 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/31/wikileaks-holocaust-denier-h...

[2]

THE GUARDIAN
HOLOCAUST DENIER IN CHARGE OF HANDLING MOSCOW CABLES
31 JANUARY 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/31/wikileaks-holocaust-denier-h...

[3]

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION
Israel Shamir and Ken Freeland

http://www.israelshamir.net/Contributors/Spanish_inquisition.htm

[4]

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION
Israel Shamir and Ken Freeland

http://www.israelshamir.net/Contributors/Spanish_inquisition.htm

[5]

See for Israeli warcrimes

Gaza offensive ''Cast Lead'' dec 2008/jan 2009
ISRAELI ATTACKS ON GAZA/DIRTY WAR AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN CIVILIAN POPULATION

http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/85520/index.php

[6]

''In a sane world, Richard Williamson’s denial of Jewish holocaust would mean as little as Deborah Lipstadt’s denial of Dresden’s holocaust. People may deny whatever they will, though it can be annoying. So many Jewish sites deny the Nakba, the Palestinian holocaust of ‘48 or even the much more recent assault on Gaza, and there is no outcry.''

Source:

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION
Israel Shamir and Ken Freeland

http://www.israelshamir.net/Contributors/Spanish_inquisition.htm

[7]

ISRAEL SHAMIR, a leading Russian Israeli writer, is a champion of the "One Man, One Vote, One State" solution seeking to unite Palestine & Israel in one democratic state. Shamir's work and that of his contributors speaks to the aspirations of both the Israelis and the Palestinians seeking an end to the bloodshed, true democracy and lasting peace.

Source

THE WRITINGS OF ISRAEL SHAMIR, CHAMPIONING DEMOCRACY FOR ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

http://www.israelshamir.net/

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B

LETTER TO DUTCH RTL NEWS [TELETEXT]

B

MY REACTION TO RTL NEWS [TELETEXT]
ORIGINAL RTL NEWSCOMMENT

RTL NEWSCOMMENT
MY REACTION TO RTL NEWS

I

TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH

RTL NEWS COMMENT [TELETEXT]
11 FEBRUARY 2011

''ASSANGE HAS DUBIOUS CONTACTS''

Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a yearlong confidant of Wikileaks boss Julian Assange, is now hard hitting him.
Assange should have dubious contacts with an extreme right wing activist from Sweden
Domscheit-Berg was working for Wikileaks untill last year.
He wrote a book about that period
He says, that Wikileaks is surrendered to the whims of Assange
One of the examples, which he blames Assange, are the dubious contacts with an extreme right wing activist from Sweden
It concerns Israel Shamir, who is according to some sources a known denier of the Holocaust

END RTL NEWSCOMMENT