Julian Assange and Slavoj Zizek in conversation

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared in London July 2 for an unusual conversation with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, moderated by Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman.

Assange is currently under house arrest in Norfolk, outside London, awaiting a July 12 appeals hearing on his pending extradition to Sweden for questioning on sexual misconduct allegations. He has not been charged with a crime in any country.

In this excerpt from Saturday’s discussion, Zizek and Assange respond to critics who say Assange should be charged in the United States under the Espionage Act of 1917 and that WikiLeaks should be shut down. “We should always see censorship, actually, as a very positive sign, and attempts towards censorship as a sign that society is not yet completely sewn up, not yet completely fiscalized but still has some political dimension to it. I.E: What people think and believe and feel and the words that they listen to actually matters,” says Assange.

Editor’s Note: You might also be interested in three other excerpts from the conversation: Exclusive: Julian Assange of WikiLeaks & Philosopher Slavoj Zizek In Conversation With Amy Goodman,  WikiLeaks Readies Suit Against Credit Card Companies Over “Economic Blockade” and WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange on Role of U.S. Cables in Helping Stir Arab SpringSource: South African Civil Society Information Service (SACIS) website

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