Townsville City Council lobbied to build Assange statue

A Queensland city could be the home of a Julian Assange statue with a group lobbying the new mayor to have it built on the iconic coastal pathway. What do you think? VOTE IN OUR POLL

Julian Assange speaks to the media from the balcony of the Embassy Of Ecuador on May 19, 2017 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

A group lobbying for Townsville to become the home of a Julian Assange statue has garnered the support of the city’s new mayor.

The group has proposed the statue be built on The Strand, overlooking Magnetic Island, with a number of people already signing the petition.

Mayor Troy Thompson said he supported an Assange statue being built but said it would require further consultation and investigation.

“It is my personal belief, that a plaque or statue may be a great talking point and potentially, attract many visitors to Townsville, if done correctly, but that is something for discussion and consultation with the community and then the chamber for discussion and investigation, should the case stack up,” Mr Thompson said.

“I have not announced any project as this is a matter for council to review first and foremost.”

A petition urging the Townsville City Council to install a statue of Julian Assange at The Strand overlooking his childhood home of Magnetic Island has received close to 100 signatures.

The statue has been talked about for years but a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, revealed the idea had the backing of Mr Thompson, who was sworn in on Wednesday.

Mr Thompson said he had been invited to a meeting at My Place Townsville but that as a non-member he remained neutral about views.

The conspiracy group believes in forming its own council, and is critical of 5G, fluoride in the water, and the loss of freedom due to mass surveillance.

“At the meeting, I was made aware that there was a petition in at council for a statue and for recognition of Julian Assange that was proposed to Townsville City Council.” he said.

Few of the digital signatures appear to be from within the Townsville area itself while drawing in Assange supporters from across the country, including Canberra, Southeast Queensland, Perth, and Melbourne.

The polarising WikiLeaks founder was born in Townsville and grew up on Magnetic Island, and is reported to have once described his childhood as similar to Tom Sawyer.

Sculpture of #Assange to be erected in his birthplace of Townsville, Australia. The project was announced by the new mayor, Troy Thompson, who stood alongside a life-size image of the journalist. pic.twitter.com/8Gu3LObTff

— Cathy Vogan (@CathyVoganSPK) April 8, 2024

Supporter Alison Mason said in a video on X that she would like to see a statue installed somewhere along the esplanade to pay tribute to “one of the great Australian heroes”.

“We’re going to commission a major sculpture, it will be a tourist attraction obviously for the city of Townsville and will attract a lot of sponsorship.

“It will really put Townsville on the map as a destination city.”

Ms Mason said they wanted to “beat every other city in the world” to building a statue of Assange.

She said she had a shortlist of artists that could build the statue in a workshop and she hoped it could be built collaboratively by an overseas artist.

Originally published as Townsville City Council lobbied to build Assange statue