For feminists, the case of Julian Assange has produced a headache that threatens to create a permanent division.
Assange is rapidly achieving superhero status, an Australian David battling the American Goliath. A Fairfax article refers to him as the digital age's Ned Kelly. Pundits such as Catherine Deveny proclaim he makes them proud to be Australian. An open letter to PM Julia Gillard asking her to ensure Assange's rights as an Australian citizen are respected has garnered more than 4000 signatures.
He claims to be fighting for freedom of speech and government transparency. Ideals that feminists also hold dear. But Assange has been arrested on rape charges and many feminists will find it hard to reconcile their defence of him with their support of rape victims. He denies these allegations vociferously, claiming they are trumped up by his detractors.
There is no doubt that the timing of the charges is suspect. Surfacing and quickly dismissed by Swedish authorities in August, the hunt was suddenly back on in the wake of the first dump of the US diplomatic cables last week. Interpol went as far as to issue a 'Red Alert', usually reserved for cases pertaining to murder ... and terrorism, of which Assange has been wrongly accused.
This prompted many to dismiss the charges as fabricated, which means claiming the two women who made the accusations are liars. This is a common smear against rape victims, whether the man they are accusing is famous or not, and one frustrated feminists work tirelessly to overcome. By placing the shame on the alleged victim and casting doubt on the veracity of her story, such smears discourage other victims from reporting their own experiences. And thus the so-called rape-culture is perpetuated.
This is why Naomi Wolf has attracted ire for her column in the Huffington Post where she scornfully derided the accusations and hence the accusers, claiming Assange was guilty of nothing except perhaps being a jerk. She, in turn, has been slammed by other writers such as Salon's Kate Harding who say she is undermining her own feminist credentials by 'smearing ... rape accuser(s)' despite a lack of access to information in the case.
Assange is undoubtedly the victim of a witch-hunt, with calls to charge him with terrorism, espionage and even — absurdly, given that he is not a US citizen — treason.
"To automatically dismiss the allegations because of suspicious timing could potentially undermine future cases of sexual molestation."
Ironically, even as