One particularly shocking video made public by the Wikileaks site shows US soldiers in Iraq shooting down a group of civilians and then shooting up a passing van that tried to help. One of the injured is shown crawling away only to be run over by an American vehicle. It's footage like this as well as leaked diplomatic documents that so angers the US establishment and the imperialists who run the US state. They want revenge on those who expose their true face.

As Richard Seymour explains on his Lenin's Tomb blog:

"I believe very firmly that the US is out to indict Assange. I believe this on the basis of attempts by US prosecutors to inculpate him as a co-conspirator in the Manning case. I believe this on the basis of evidence of a sealed indictment involving a secret grand jury which is pursuing Wikileaks and its founder. I believe it on the basis of the interest expressed by senior US politicians in indicting Assange, and possibly assassinating him. I believe it on the basis of leaked information that the US are actively pursuing Assange, despite official denials. I believe it on the basis of the direction of Obama's policy, the escalation of repression using espionage legislation, the hoarding of executive power linked to imperialism, the hunting of 'hacktivists' of various kinds. I believe it on the basis of Attorney General Eric Holder's declaration that he intends to close any legal "gaps" that might seem to protect whistleblowers."

If the US gets it's way they want to stick Julian Assange in a cell next to Bradley Manning as a lesson to others who tell the truth about the nature of the US empire. All progressive forces have to oppose the extradition of Assange to the USA. The US would be massively emboldened if they could get away with intimidating and jailing their critics. Activists have to be able to tell the truth without fearing rendition or even assassination by US special forces.

We have to understand the threat to all activists, hackers and whistleblowers that the US threat to Assange represents. It is possible to have a principled opposition to American imperialism and at the same time to not dismiss the rape claims which Sweden wants Assange to face.

Seymour puts this well:

"It is surely quite possible to take these rape allegations against Assange seriously, and not participate in typical patriarchal denigration of women reporting rape, while at the same time taking the US threat to Assange seriously and supporting efforts to resist that."

Socialists have a strong record on upholding and fighting for women's rights and we believe rape should be taken very seriously indeed. The problem is that can there be a guarantee that handing Assange over to Swedish custody will not lead to a victory for the US empire? Sweden is a wholehearted supporter of the war on terror and a 'friend' to the US.

US forces have brutalised women across the Middle East killing tens of thousands in Iraq alone. The empire can't get it's own way in this case. Their victory would be a threat to civil liberties everywhere.