John Pilger warns of war with Russia as West wages ‘propaganda’ battle (VIDEO)
Campaigning journalist John Pilger has warned that the current propaganda war being waged by the West against Russia and China could escalate into a “real” war if it continues.
The Australian journalist and filmmaker issued the warning during an interview with RT on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange having his internet access cut off by the Ecuadorian embassy, where he resides. The WikiLeaks editor has been unable to access the internet or receive visitors since criticizing Germany’s arrest of Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.
“This is about a war on freedom of speech. This man is being denied the most basic right – freedom of speech,” Pilger told RT. “It’s part of a wider war against known enemies, Russia is one of them and China is another, but at the moment [it’s] on the propaganda stage,” he added.
“This is about the public’s right to know and it’s the public’s right to know what governments are doing.”
Pilger cautioned against the grave implications of the West’s current information war, as he said: “Forget about the whole idea of trade war, we've got the prospect of a real war unless this propaganda war is seen through. The attack on [Assange] and WikiLeaks over the years is so important because it does what journalists should be doing and that is holding great power to account,” Pilger added.
READ MORE: Assange works for the people – now we need to save him
His remarks come after a Change.org petition calling for his internet to be restored was signed by more than 38,000 people. It opened with a letter signed by renowned public figures including Noam Chomsky, Vivienne Westwood, Oliver Stone and Brian Eno.
Assange has been locked up in the embassy since being accused of rape in Sweden back in 2012. While charges against him were dropped, he fears being extradited to the US for releasing a series of classified national security documents through his whistleblowing website, WikiLeaks.
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
