🎙️ My guest today is Gabriel Shipton, an Australian filmmaker and the half-brother of Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. Gabriel has been a tireless advocate for his brother's release and a powerful voice for press freedom, free speech, and the right to dissent. From the Ecuadorian embassy to a maximum-security prison, Julian's 14-year ordeal became a global symbol for the criminalization of truth-telling. While his release was a major milestone, Gabriel warns that the fight is far from over, while reflecting on the emotional toll of Julian’s imprisonment and the bittersweet terms of his release, which involved pleading guilty to the very act of journalism. We explore the dangerous precedent this sets for free press worldwide and the need to secure a full pardon. We also dive into Gabriel’s connection to the Bitcoin community, a movement that stood firmly behind Julian, both financially and ideologically, and stress decentralized platforms such as Bitcoin & Nostr as freedom enablers.
This episode is also on Twitter, Spotify, Fountain, Rumble and more.
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We talked about:
0:00 Coming Up…
1:05 Intro to Gabriel Shipton
2:20 Stella Assange & Westminster Declaration [& Censorship]
5:00 Julian Assange’s Release and Ongoing Legal Battle
7:30 The Fight for a Pardon, Trump’s Role & Political Shifts in Julian’s Case
12:20 USAID Exposé, Deep State, NGOs Funding & Journalistic Integrity
16:17 When Was Gabriel’s Introduction to Bitcoin?
18:00 Political Power of Bitcoiners and Their Ethos
20:30 Navigating Between Political Engagement and Technological Freedom
22:30 Gabriel’s Mission and Projects of Media and Speech
24:30 Freedom of Speech as a Human Right
28:00 The Power of Decentralized Protocols, inc. Nostr
30:30 Julian’s Homecoming & Public Support
32:45 Gabriel’s Words of Hope
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My takeaways from this episode:
Julian Assange is healing in nature with his family and is grateful
Julian’s release is a major win, but pleading guilty sets a dangerous precedent.
Press freedom is essential for a healthy society and personal empowerment.
The campaign for freedom continues for Julian and others under attack.
Free speech is a natural human right, not something granted by governments.
The U.S. legal system has opened the door to prosecuting journalism as espionage.
The shift in Trump’s inner circle may increase chances of a future pardon.
USAID and other NGOs have funneled billions into global influence operations.
Fiat money enables government corruption and censorship at scale.
The Bitcoin community played a powerful behind-the-scenes role in Julian’s campaign.
Bitcoin’s political potential is being realized. It's no longer just a tech tool.
Nostr and decentralized protocols are the future of censorship-resistant communication.
Gabriel is working on films about media, activism, and resistance.
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Follow Gabriel:
Gabriel's Twitter | Gabriel’s npub: npub1dcgppk89h9flnffrznvhhj2vt9a0ym23ht5gk07l9j8m6l5k95qsze06js
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