Wayne,
Nice to hear from you.
I have no interest in following or supporting Julian Assange. It’s NOT a subject that comes up when we get together.
All the best,
RVK 19 March 2026
(Explanation: By “we”, Bob means Fort Street “old boys”. W.H.)
Bob, this is an e-mail I received (in a mass e-mailing) from Gabriel Shipton, Julian Assange’s half-brother. Mary Kostakidis is a Fortian and I once wrote to suggest to her the idea of trying to mobilise “the old school tie”. She rejected the idea fairly abruptly but with the passage of time it occurs to me that I may have tried the wrong approach. I should have spoken to other Fortians about the idea of supporting her rather than speaking to her about the idea of other Fortians supporting her. In any case Gabriel Shipton’s asking me for money seems equally misguided. I am the last person to be approached as a significant financial donor. I share this message with my friend and comrade Nikos Vakolidis, orthodontist in the northern Greek city of Ioannina. Let’s just discuss it between ourselves for starters, Bob, Nikos has not been abrupt with Gabriel Shipton as I have so perhaps whatever we conclude between ourselves could be conveyed to Gabriel if Nikos wants to oblige in this way.
Take the advice in the p.s. and read the Sydney criminal lawyers’ report.
How is everything else with you?
Best wishes,
Wayne Hall
p.s. I cc fellow Fortian Les Thompson from our year, who lives in France, and invite him to join our discussion if he chooses.
Gabriel writes:
Mary is facing a racial vilification complaint brought by the Zionist Federation of Australia over social media posts she shared on X/Twitter. Last year, she fought to have the case struck out, but the Federal Court denied her request. Now, after a second mediation attempt has ended without agreement, the case will go to trial in the Federal Court starting 30 November 2026.
Stand with Mary — donate now
“Nobody believes that the allegations against Mary are anything but a coordinated effort to silence reporting and criticisms of the behaviour of a foreign power,” said Information Rights Project Founder Gabriel Shipton.
This is why your support matters. Mary now faces a costly, drawn-out battle in the Federal Court.
“Australians have a right to be informed, and the case against Mary Kostakidis is trying to deny us those very rights,” said Gabriel.
Mary has made clear she won’t back down, but legal battles of this scale require resources. We urgently need to raise funds to ensure Mary has the support she needs.
Most supporters give around $30. Combined, your contributions can help Mary access the resources to fight back and help to defend our right to speak freely and stay informed. Will you chip in today?
Donate Now
Thank you for standing up for the rights of all Australians to speak and be informed.
In solidarity, Nevena The Information Rights Project
P.S. Read more about the case https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/zionist-vexatious-legal-action-against-kostakidis-will-go-to-trial-after-failed-mediation/
Bad tempered afterword from Wayne https://main.cse-initiative.eu/?p=1451
Response:
Bob, thank you for getting involved. I am pleased to tell you that my inventive collaborator Nikos Vakolidis responded to my unsuccessful donning of the old school tie not with ridicule or silence but blowing the dust off his own old school tie. Apparently he went to a school in Ioannina called the Zosimaia school, with a history as proud as or prouder than “my” proud Fort Street, who actually sing in their school song (or did in “my day”) “Fort Street’s name rings round the world” (do you mean to say you haven’t heard of “us”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM6GsXP4_3Q
It was only in 1913 that Ioannina was brought by the Greek army out of the Ottoman Empire and into the modern Greek state. I wonder what proud words they were singing in Nikos’ school song!
The “pride in ancestry” habit seems to be catching on so let’s bring Phillip Adams into it. Phillip is an Australian with a hidden Greek name who prides himself on being descended from the Greek revolutionary Anagnostaras and who played a sterling role in defending Julian Assange.
Since Julian Assange’s release from prison but continued imprisonment in unchallenged false accusations, Phillip has prioritized denunciation of Zionism, where he has plenty of company, mostly below the intellectual level he occupied when he was prioritizing defence of Julian Assange. It is still unclear, though, whether Julian Assange thinks that the job of defending him was being done better by Phillip or by, say, Yanis Varoufakis. Phillip gives his opinion on that subject in the link immediately above.