HIGNFY
Ian Hislop - the long-time editor of Private Eye and star of the BBC's 'Have I Got News For You' - has blown the lid off the Julian Assange affair, in spectacular fashion.
If you didn't believe the WikiLeaks founder was bonkers before now - then think again.
Because Ian Hislop writes in the Prviate Eye that Julian Assange accused various journalists - including Ian Hislop, the Guardian and Index on Censorship group - of a mounting a 'Jewish conspiracy' against his WikiLeaks web site.
How crazy is that?
In the latest edition of Private Eye, Hislop writes that Assange phoned him on 16 February 2011 - to complain about an article on Israel Shamir.
Israel Shamir is a WikiLeaks associate - in Russia - who has denied the Holocaust and has published a string of antisemitic articles.
Ian Hislop recounts the conversation: "He said that I and Private Eye should be ashamed of ourselves for joining in the international conspiracy to smear WikiLeaks. The piece was an obvious attempt to deprive him and his organisation of Jewish support and donations, he said angrily, and he knew perfectly well who had written it. He then named a Fleet Street hack who had nothing to do with it."
According to Hislop, Assange went on to claim that Private Eye was: "part of a conspiracy led by the Guardian which included journalist David Leigh, editor Alan Rusbridger and John Kampfner from Index on Censorship – all of whom 'are Jewish'".
Hislop adds: "I pointed out that Rusbridger is not actually Jewish, but Assange insisted that he was 'sort of Jewish' because he was related to David Leigh (they are brothers-in-law). When I doubted whether his Jewish conspiracy would stand up against the facts, Assange suddenly conceded the point. 'Forget the Jewish thing'."
Apparently Julian Assange now denies conversation reported by Ian Hislop and has issued a statement saying: "Hislop has distorted, invented or misremembered almost every significant claim and phrase. In particular, 'Jewish conspiracy' is completely false, in spirit and in word.It is serious and upsetting. Rather than correct a smear, Mr Hislop has attempted, perhaps not surprisingly, to justify one smear with another in the same direction."
No doubt the WikiLeaks founder will explain this away as yet another conspiracy against him, but what reason would Ian Hislop - who seems like a paid up member of the human race - have for inventing such an incredible story?
If you didn't believe the WikiLeaks founder was bonkers before now - then think again.
Because Ian Hislop writes in the Prviate Eye that Julian Assange accused various journalists - including Ian Hislop, the Guardian and Index on Censorship group - of a mounting a 'Jewish conspiracy' against his WikiLeaks web site.
How crazy is that?
In the latest edition of Private Eye, Hislop writes that Assange phoned him on 16 February 2011 - to complain about an article on Israel Shamir.
Israel Shamir is a WikiLeaks associate - in Russia - who has denied the Holocaust and has published a string of antisemitic articles.
Ian Hislop recounts the conversation: "He said that I and Private Eye should be ashamed of ourselves for joining in the international conspiracy to smear WikiLeaks. The piece was an obvious attempt to deprive him and his organisation of Jewish support and donations, he said angrily, and he knew perfectly well who had written it. He then named a Fleet Street hack who had nothing to do with it."
According to Hislop, Assange went on to claim that Private Eye was: "part of a conspiracy led by the Guardian which included journalist David Leigh, editor Alan Rusbridger and John Kampfner from Index on Censorship – all of whom 'are Jewish'".
Hislop adds: "I pointed out that Rusbridger is not actually Jewish, but Assange insisted that he was 'sort of Jewish' because he was related to David Leigh (they are brothers-in-law). When I doubted whether his Jewish conspiracy would stand up against the facts, Assange suddenly conceded the point. 'Forget the Jewish thing'."
Apparently Julian Assange now denies conversation reported by Ian Hislop and has issued a statement saying: "Hislop has distorted, invented or misremembered almost every significant claim and phrase. In particular, 'Jewish conspiracy' is completely false, in spirit and in word.It is serious and upsetting. Rather than correct a smear, Mr Hislop has attempted, perhaps not surprisingly, to justify one smear with another in the same direction."
No doubt the WikiLeaks founder will explain this away as yet another conspiracy against him, but what reason would Ian Hislop - who seems like a paid up member of the human race - have for inventing such an incredible story?
