NO HEROES, NO MONSTERS WHAT ILEARNED BEING THEMOST HATEDWOMANONTHE INTERNET
ANNA ARDINNO HEROES,NOMONSTERS
ANNA ARDIN
NO HEROES, NO MONSTERS
What ILearnedBeing theMostHated Woman on theInternet
www.bod.se info@bod.se
©2024 Anna Ardin
Coverphoto: Joel Nilsson
ISBN: 978-91-8057-611-6
Original title: IskugganavAssange,2021
Förlag:BoD –BooksonDemand, Stockholm, Sverige Tryck:BoD –BooksonDemand, Norderstedt, Tyskland
Forthe feminists, everysingleone of youAwisewoman wishes to be no one’s enemy; awisewoman refusestobe anyone’s victim.
Maya Angelou
Iamone of thetwo womenwho,in2010,toldthe policethatJulianAssangehad sexually assaultedus. WikiLeaksfansworldwide—certainly myself very much included—probablywishI’d hadnoreasonto make my report,but Idid.Ofcourse, Ididn’tknow thelegal terminologyfor what hadhappened, butto me,itwas an assault, andI will continue to call it that.
Forhis work with WikiLeaks, however,Julian Assangewas accusedofsomething else entirely: espionage.These accusations areunjustand have more to do with truth, transparency,and freedomof speech.Onthe otherhand, thesexualassault accusations arenot relatedtoespionage or free speech butrathertohis personal behavior.Thatbehaviorand thedebatefollowing thepolicereportultimately concernwomen’s rights.Shouldpopularand powerful menbeallowed to behave however they want toward womenornot?
Theseare twoseparateaccusations that have nothing to do with each other. Iamnot accusing WikiLeaksofassault,and WikiLeaks’ work is hardly furtheredbyallowingits representativestobehave however they please.
Iwas convincedthatWikiLeaks wasdoing important work forpeace andopenness. That was whyI worked to have JulianAssange come to Stockholmand speak, andthatwas whyI lethim stay in my apartment. He assaultedmeinthatcontext. Only afew days later, he spentthe nightatthe place of anotherwoman wholater testifiedhedid somethingsimilar to her. It wasa coincidencethatwe happened to getintouch with each other, butI didn’t want to leaveher defenseless. So,I went with herto thepoliceand gave astatementabouthow he had behavedtowardme. It sounds dull,but that wasthe limited extentofmyinvolvement in thecase.
During theseyears,two tribunalshavebeenheld to settlethe question of guiltand investigatethe truth in ouraccusations of sexual offenses:one official legal tribunal viathe police andthe courts andanothervia discussionforumsonthe internet andinthe press. This experience is preciselywhatthisbookisabout— theofficial legalprocess Julian refusedtoparticipate in andthe mediafrenzyJulianwas active in,which Idid everything Icould to avoidfor tenyears.
Ihaven’t hadthe leastinvolvement in what the variousprosecutors,defense attorneys,governments, andPRagencieshavedone. Ihavewaitedand listened.I cooperated when thepoliceand prosecutors askedquestions.I testifiedona fewoccasions about
theharassmentthatfollowedthe report, buttoavoid influencingthe legalprocess, Ihavenot spoken publicly forall theseyears aboutthe actual events.
We will neverknowifJulianislegally an offender, butI candescribethe events as Iexperienced them. Insteadoftestifyinginthe trialthatnever took place, I wouldliketotellmyversion here,likethis. Perhaps this case will illustrate thedialoguewemust allkeep openabout gray areasand assault. Iamjust oneofthe millions of womenwho have not been respected.This is abookabout what it wasliketobebehindthe headlines during adecade-long mediafrenzyand how thehateonlineaffectedmeafter reportingmy experiencesofanassault. This is an accountwithout angels or monsters, whereheroescan be villains and wheretruthsmay be hidden somewhereinthe nuancesbetween blackand white.
My goal is to be completely honest and transparentwiththisbook.I have double-checked my memories with thehelpofjournal entriesand other previously unpublishedtexts,aswellasinterviews, conversations with otherpeoplewho werethere, newspaperarticles, andbysearching variousonline forums.I have done my best to reproducethe sequenceofeventsand theirorder correctly. At the same time,ofcourse, it is afactthatmostofthis happened many yearsago.Whatday aspecificthing occurred or thewording of an exchange maynot be exact, butitisasclose as Ican ever get. Allofthe quotesfromanonymous trolls areauthentic and illustrate the hatred andthreats directed at me during variousperiods.
Still, thesecommentsmay have endedupunder a different date in this book than on whichtheywere initiallywritten.
Thankyou forreading.
Anna Ardin2010
Tuesday, August 10,2010
“The founderofWikiLeaks wantstocometoSweden. Do youwanttoinvitehim andarrange aseminar?”
This question comesfroma journalist named Donald andisput to theReligious Social Democrats of Sweden,anorganizationthatisbothmyjob and fillsmyspare time.Wehavehad severalinteractions with Donald thanks to oursharedcommitmentto humanrightsinPalestine,but hisconnection to WikiLeaksisnewstous.
WikiLeaksisanorganizationthatcontributed to twoleaks that attracteda greatdealofattentionduring thespringand summer.CollateralMurderwas publishedinApril.Itisa shakyfilmfroma military helicopter in whichAmericansoldiersfilmeachother shooting at Iraqiciviliansand kill 15 people, twoof whom areReuters reporters.Atthe endofJuly, WikiLeakscontributedto“AfghanistanLeaks,” alarge number of classified military documentsaboutU.S. warfareinAfghanistan, released simultaneouslyin The Guardian, TheNew York Times,and othermedia outlets worldwide.
It is not acoincidence that Donald callsus specifically,askingwhether we want to hold aseminar with WikiLeaks. After 80 yearsofagitating forpeace, theReligious Social DemocratsofSwedenhave demonstrated andprotested againstthe wars in Afghanistanand Iraq.Theyhavebeencalledthe BrotherhoodMovement, namedafter Brotherhood,a newspaperfirst publishedin1927,and have worked forhuman dignityand respectofGod’s creation since then.Therefore,theyare an obvious ally in work
againstwar crimes.
Thefootageand documentsthatWikiLeaks leaked this yearare even more unacceptabletousbut have become substantialproof of theimmoralityofthe U.S. during thewar.Mercenary soldiers financed by the U.S. government have committedserious human rights abuses.The number of civilian casualties in Iraq is probablymanytimes higher than reported,and espionage andkickbacks clearlyplaya crucialrolein internationaldiplomacy.These areproblemsthatneed to be broughttodaylighttobesolvedand issues that arenow beingdiscussed broadly, thanks to WikiLeaks.
But thesethingsare essentialnot only to the ReligiousSocialDemocrats butalsotomepersonally. Iampro-liberty anda Social Democrat.I dislikethe authoritiesand hate imperialismand wars of aggression. Icondemnjailing people fortheir political views andnot giving dissidents fair trials.I abhorthat theWestclothes itsplunderingwarsregarding development, fighting terrorism, andpromoting women’srights—even though theeffects sooner increase terrorismand setwomen’s rights back.And in allofthis, equitablepeace in theMiddleEasthas felt particularly important sincerecentlyseeing, in person andwithmyown eyes,the misery andhopelessness inside theworld’s largestoutdoor prison, theutterly bombed-outGaza. WikiLeaksseems to standfor the same things andwants to expose theabusesofpower that underlie thewarsinAfghanistan andIraq, regardless of theterms they arecouched in.
However,I’venever heardofJulianAssange,and Idon’t understand what it meanstobethe founderof
WikiLeaks. Forexample,where’s thesecretary-general, thedirector, or thechairperson?But regardless, it’s evidentlysomething cool.The footagefromthe Apache helicopter is enough of an argument.
My bosssaysyes to Donald’s query, andwedecide to call theseminar “The TruthIsthe FirstCasualtyof War,”asBritish women’ssuffrageactivistEthel AnnakinSnowden memorablyput it in 1915 when she criticized theuse of women’srightstoargue forwar during WorldWar I. 1 Waging warrequireslies— mythmaking andpropagandaaboutthe enemybeing different,anevilersortofpeoplewho threaten us andthe censorshipofinformation regardingthe war’s actual consequences.The truthisrarelysimple, obvious,orabsolute, butstrivingfor it is always a preconditionfor peaceand justice.
IarrangeJulianAssange’s trip from London to Stockholmwiththe help of Donald,our organization’s chairpersonPeter,the presidentofour youthwing, Victor,and aSwedish-Israelijournalist, Johannes, WikiLeaks’ contactpersoninEngland.I also arrange forustoborrowthe SwedishTrade Union ConfederationHallfor theseminar,sendout thepress release, andinvitepeople. Everything happens very quickly.Bothtimeand financialresources aretight.
Assange’splane ticket costsmorethanwecan afford,but we decide it is worthprioritizingthis. The visitwilldrawattention to issues of international solidarity, ending thewar,and possiblyplacing allthe troops in Afghanistanunder UN command. Among themoreknowledgeable peopleinour circles—peace activistsand people whoworkfor truthand
transparency—manyare familiar with WikiLeaksand view it as asymbolofrighteous resistance.
We also find outthatWikiLeaks is interested in starting thepublication of an onlinenewspaper in Swedishinorder to benefitfromSweden’sstrong protections forfreedom of expression andfreedom of thepress.So, we begindiscussingthe options for supporting WikiLeaksasitestablishes itself in Sweden as an organization andpublication.
Theseminar we arearranging is scheduledfor the morningofAugust14. Julian Assangewillarriveon Thursday,August12, andweare responsiblefor his accommodations fortwo nights in connectionwith theseminar,i.e., August 12 and13. He wouldprefer not to stay at ahotel,heinforms us,but rather live as secretly as possible. SinceI will be away workingata festival thosenightsanyway, Ioffertoloanout my studio apartmentincentral Stockholm. Theprice is rightfor ourfinancially strained organization, andit will be secret—the wayJulianwants it—while also giving me some status.I will gettobeinthe thickof things andknow thepeoplebeing discussed.Itwillbe astatusmarkermorevaluableinmycircles than earninga largesalary, owning an environmentally friendly car, or anyofthe otherusualindicators.
Wednesday, August 11,2010
Thereisanenormous amount of interest in the seminar. In thepress release, we writethatjournalists have priority, butsomanyjournalists sign up there’s almost no room foranyoneelse. Ineed to turn away hundreds of people.
Maria, ayoung womanwho readsabout the seminaronTwitter,getsintouch.Inher message, she writes shecan volunteerand help with whatever might be needed if it meansshe canattend.Her help feels very welcomeamidthe stress of organizing everything. Ireply that we don’tcurrently have anyvolunteer assignments, butsomething mightsuddenlycomeup. If shecan be therewellinadvance andstand by just in case,thenshe is welcometoattend.
Thursday,August12, 2010
AChristian youthfestivalcalledFreeZone(Swedish Frizon)isbeing held in Kumla, acoupleofhours west of Stockholm, whichI am attendingasa representative of theYoung ChristianLeft(Ungkristen vänster). Istaff ourinformation tent alongwitha few otherpeople. We talk to youngpeopleinterested in internationalsolidarity, religiousfreedom,how all peopleare equallyvaluable, andcaringfor allcreation. In atalkonstage aboutChristianity, politics,faith and solidarity, Christiananarchistsrebukemefor not being radicalenough.But outamong thefestivalattendees, we’re also forced to debate teenage Creationists(who saythingslike“youmay have monkeys in your family, butI don’t”), opponentsofabortion, andpeople triggeredbyour very presence there—primarily because theChristian Social Democrats, in particular, wereinstrumentalinconvincing theChurchof Sweden to allowsame-sexmarriages just over ayear earlier. Butworst of all, Imeetyoung peoplewho seem to have been trainedtodividethe worldbetween them andus, using religion as an argument.