Today's demonstration against Victorian Attorney General Rob Hulls and his attempts to ban corruption author Raymond Hoser for telling the truth went off like a bat out of hell.
Today a huge crowd converged in the vicinity of the Melbourne Supreme and Magistrate's Courts with placards, banners and megaphones to protest.
Included was a coalition of groups ranging from the far left, centre and right, all deeply concerned with Hulls attempts to stop free speech in Victoria.
All are united in their fear that if a precedent is set against Hoser for publishing the truth, anyone else can be summarily imprisoned by the government if they dislike the facts that they disclose.
Last year Rob Hulls was a party to a costly series of legal actions against Hoser over his best selling books "Victoria Police Corruption" 1 and 2.
These actions included defamation and an attempted injunction to have sales of the books banned and all copies seized and destroyed.
Hulls side lost all cases and the Supreme Court then ruled that the cotnents of all Hoser's corruption books was 100 per cent true, accurate and in the public interest.
Smarting from his defeat, Hulls has recommenced a new action against Hoser, seeking much the same sort of thing, except that this time the charge Hoser faces is "contempt", the alleged "contempt" being that Hoser's books, while acknowledged as being true and correct, have the potential to undermine public confidence in the State's legal system that Hulls now asserts must not be questioned by anyone.
The charge against Hoser is ridiculous in the extreme, but if it gets up and Hoser is in fact declared guilty by one of Hulls subordinate judges - which is thought highly likely, then the precedent is likely to be seized upon by other jurisdictions throughout Australia.
The case has already been widely reported here in Victoria as well as in Queensland and New South Wales and even overseas.
Media from a number of TV networks, including channels, 2, 7, 9 and 10, filmed the demonstration so it will interesting to see if it is reported in tonight's evening news or instead suppressed - which is the agenda of Hulls and co. who want to get away with jailing Hoser with a minimum fuss and exposure.
Just how controlled the mainstream media is will evidently be seen by the end of today's date.
The next demonstration is planned for later this week and posters, banners and the like are likely to start appearing in prominent locations across Melbourne in a bid to heighten public awareness of this most important free speech case.
At court today, lawyer Stephen Lee for the VGS said that his client Rob Hulls wanted to make an example of Hoser to stop others who may wish to publish the truth and offend the present government. He has already asked the court to convict Hoser of "contempt" and to have him locked up for a term of ten years - more than for rapists and murderers. Lee also wants to see Hoser's assets seized, which may mean his wife and two young children would be destitute.
The case against Hoser proper has now been set down for 23 October at the Victorian Supreme Court and is expected to last at least a week.
Everyone's rights are at risk here so please report this matter as widely as you can.
For further details call: 0412 777 211.
Or Access Lawyers on 9381-4994 who are defending author Raymond Hoser and his publisher. Ask for Brenton O'Loughlin.
Details of the case and charges against Hoser, including the writ against Hoser and his publisher can be found at the following website:
http://www.smuggled.com/VGS1.htm