George Galloway defends Julian Assange claim

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/21/george-galloway-julian-assange-rape-claim

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The MP George Galloway has defended his controversial claim that a rape allegation against Julian Assange amounted to no more than bad "sexual etiquette".

Galloway provoked a furious response from women's groups after he said in a video podcast that even if the complaints made against the WikiLeaks founder by two women in Sweden were true, they did not constitute rape.

But in a statement on Tuesday, the Respect MP said: "No never means yes and non-consensual sex is rape. There's no doubt about it and that has always been my position. But if my remarks on the podcast need clarification I am happy to do that.

"Julian Assange, let's be clear, has always denied the allegations. And this has all the hallmarks of a setup.

"I don't believe, from what we know, that the director of public prosecutions would sanction a prosecution in Britain. What occurred is not rape as most people understand it. And it's important to note that the two women involved did not initially claim it."

Assange is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, avoiding extradition to Sweden for questioning about the allegations.

In his statement, Galloway, who is in Indonesia, said Assange had repeatedly made clear that he was prepared to return to Sweden to face questioning if he received guarantees that he would not be extradited to the US to face charges over the leak of US diplomatic cables.

"It is not denied that Assange had consensual sex with woman A on 14 August 2010 and similarly with Miss W three days later. She even hosted a party for him the following evening," Galloway said.

"Over the next three days the women met up and talked to a journalist about the events. On 20 August both went to a police station, not to allege rape, but to see if it was possible to force Assange to have an HIV test. An arrest warrant was issued and then withdrawn, with a chief prosecutor saying, 'I don't think there is reason to suspect he has committed rape.'"