Johanna Palmström, an amazing young Swedish feminist I met in Denmark last year, alerted me to a Twitter campaign that’s started up in defense of one of Assange’s accusers. She’s being smeared and mistreated on Twitter and in Swedish social media spaces, so feminists there have started a campaign, #prataomdet – in English, #talkaboutit. From Johanna:
In the wake of the doubt and skepticism directed toward the women who filed charges against Julian Assange, journalist Johanna Koljonen recently tweeted openly and intimately about drawing lines, gray areas, and crystal clear violations in sexual situations. Hundreds followed Koljonen’s example on Twitter under the hashtag #prataomdet (“#talkaboutit”). As a result of this debate, several Swedish magazines, newspapers and other media outlets are publishing pieces on the subject. Something is going to change. We are going to dare to #talkaboutit.
Find out more about the campaign here, and please consider tweeting your support!
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6 Comments
Just one comment – your title of “swedish feminists” makes all into some sort of conspiracy from a feminist group. It’s people that talk about sexual abuse. You don’t become a feminist because you get abused. You’re a feminist if you believe in equal rights. I become so angry with people that show support for people that might have been into a situation of being abused into a conspiracy against a guy with a really fucked up history with women. SEPARATE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WORK.
Thank you for posting this. You have no idea how happy I am to be able to read blogs like yours, in this current climate where seemingly everyone has jumped on the victim denying train, it’s good to know there are still people out there like you standing up for these and all women.
Agree with Peter and Lara. A person could do much good work but we should separate from her/his personal behavior unless she/he behaves consistently throughout the daily life. Mr Assange is important but the lady in this case is also important! The supporters shall know that!
- A feminist from Asia.
p.s. Hope European feminist could also keep an eye on the status of female in the Asia and provide some help. SISTERHOOD IS WORLDWIDE!
Let’s get this rapist in jail where he belongs!
Shame on Assange’s defenders for so callously and heinously dismissing this as some sort of grand conspiracy against Assange. These people are just shameful idiots with no ability to look at the case objectively. They immediately jump to wild conspiracy theories about the CIA somehow forcing Assange into raping these women.
Important subject and a very brave thing to do – to take your personal sexual life and put it out there as an example. Just goes to show how mundane these demarcation problems really are.
Just one correction: Johanna Koljonen is a Finnish host and journalist who lives in Sweden for the time being.
Recent study shows that college women in US tend not to report aggressive/assaultive behaviour from their colleagues.
When a person is not a stranger, we are less likely to report it
.While people argue for the war (s) or against,: the fact that 1 in 3 women in the US military have experienced some form of sexual assault is nothing to overlook.
McCain,Palin,MichaelMoore, Olberman, Stewat,Colbert, and ofcourse Pres Obama need to address this too.