Free Gonzalo Lira!

It’s a heartfelt plea. But I know it might be provocative to some people – both people who support Ukraine and people who oppose Ukraine.

But, come on, posts like this are meant to provoke. And I welcome any discussion here on the issues that might concern some people.

I think the panel in the above video handled these issues very well, with the depth they warrant at this stage. The charges made against Gonzalo Lira by the opponents of the Kiev regime are circumstantial and those made by supporters of that regime simply do not stand up to proper analysis. For example, the charge that the SBU (the Ukrainian version of the old KGB in the USSR) is using Gonzalo Lira to collect information on subscribers and viewers of his YouTube channel is silly. I know from Edward Snowden’s leaks that the US National Security Agency collects information about my interactions with such video channels and we can assume it shares this information with the SBU, so what is new? What can the SBU do to me anyway?

There is a real danger to his life if he is left to fester in an SBU cell –  SBU detainees have been murdered in the past. Gonzalo Lira’s life is in danger even if he had been used has an SBU asset in the past.

Gonzalo Lira is no saint but some of his videos are excellent

Yes, the slogan “Free Gonzalo Lira” sounds too much like the “Free Nelson Mandela” of the past. And many people consider Mandela a saint but very few people would say that of Gonzalo Lira.

But be careful of idolizing people. Idols usually turn out to have feet of clay. And I am sure that many of Madneal’s close friends could have made criticisms of him – and he would have inevitably made many enemies in the movement during his time.

I do not like many of Gonzalo Lira’s ideas (he is a supporter of Pinochet in Chile!) and find him to be too egotistic for me. But then again egotism is common in movements like this, and I similarly find some of Gonzalo Lira’s critics suffer from a degree of egotism – it’s probably inevitable in the media. Those who have watched Scott Ritter’s videos will appreciate my point. But I do not let Ritter’s egotism or the mistakes he has made in the past detract from the very valuable information he imparts.

In my mind, Gonzalo Lira’s main contribution to information about Ukraine, Russia, the war and geopolitics was the 56 videos he produced as part of his The Roundtable YouTube channel. These videos included a range of very respectable and informative guests and the information conveyed in the discussions was invaluable.

Just imagine hosting people like Tarik Cyril Amar, Alexander Mercouris, Mark Sleboda, Brian Berletic, Pepe Escobar, Glenn Diesen, Larry Johnson, Ray McGovern and Ian Miles Cheong! And these were just from his last 6 roundtables.

Those Roundtable discussions are invaluable. It seems to me that Gonzalo Lira’s critics from those who oppose the Kiev regime are being petty in raising concerns about inconsistency in Gonzalo Lira’s account of his two detentions by the SBU, considering the value of these discussions.

Deport Gonzalo Lira!

I agree with the main message in the video above – as a foreign national involved in the communication of ideas, he should not be imprisoned. If the regime doesn’t like what he says, then they should deport him. They have done this in the past with foreign journalists. As have other governments.

Whatever one’s views of Gonzalo Lira and beliefs about his detention I believe people should resort to compassion, not paranoia.