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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Christopher Knaus

US officials monitored pro-Assange protests in Australia for ‘anti-US sentiment’, documents reveal

People march through the city centre during a rally in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Brisbane in 2010.
People march through Brisbane during a rally in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2010. Newly obtained documents reveal how the US embassy in Canberra reported on such events. Photograph: Gabrielle Dunlevy/AAP

American officials monitored pro-Assange protests in Australia for “anti-US sentiment”, warned of “increasing sympathy, particularly on the left” for the WikiLeaks founder in his home country and derided local media’s “sensationalist” reporting of the explosive 2010 cable leaks, previously classified records show.

Documents released by the US state department via freedom of information laws give new insight into how the US embassy in Canberra and its security team reacted to WikiLeaks’ release of 250,000 embassy cables in late 2010.

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