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AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File

WikiLeaks chief denies sex allegations in memoir

Julian Assange has accused his British publisher of “opportunism and duplicity” for publishing the unfinished book without his approval.

WIKILEAKS FOUNDER Julian Assange says in a new memoir that he did not sexually assault two women who have accused him of rape, and claims he was warned the US government was trying to entrap him.

“Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography” went on sale in Britain yesterday — against the wishes of Assange, who condemned his publisher for releasing it.

In the book — written by a ghostwriter who conducted 50 hours of interviews with the WikiLeaks chief — Assange says “I may be a chauvinist pig of some sort but I am no rapist.”

He says his two accusers “each had sex with me willingly and were happy to hang out with me afterwards.”

Assange, 40, claims a Western intelligence contact warned him that the American government, angered by WikiLeaks’ release of secret documents, was considering dealing with him “illegally” through rigged drug or sex allegations.

But he also says the sex charges may be the result of “a terrible misunderstanding that was stoked up” between his accusers.

WikiLeaks and its silver-haired frontman shot to worldwide prominence with a series of spectacular leaks of secret US material, including the publication of about 250,000 classified State Department cables.

Assange has also become enmeshed in financial and legal woes, including the allegations of rape and sexual misconduct made last year by two Swedish women.

Assange was arrested and briefly jailed over the allegations in Britain in December. He is currently out on bail and living at a supporter’s mansion in eastern England as he awaits a judge’s decision on whether he will be extradited to Sweden. A ruling is expected within weeks.

The book, for which Assange says he agreed to advances of more than $1 million, was intended to help salvage WikiLeaks’ precarious finances.

But after seeing the first draft, Assange got cold feet. Attempts to renegotiate the book deal were unsuccessful.

Assange accused his British publisher, Canongate, of “opportunism and duplicity” for publishing the unfinished book without his approval.

In a statement released to The Associated Press, he said the publisher had acted “in breach of contract, in breach of confidence, in breach of my creative rights and in breach of personal assurances.”

Canongate said that since Assange had not repaid his advance — which was handed over to lawyers to help pay his legal fees — it had decided to publish the book.

Assange’s US publisher, Alfred A Knopf, said it had canceled its contract with Assange and would not be releasing the memoir.

The book traces Assange’s life from his Australian childhood through his time as a teenage computer hacker to the founding of the secret-spilling website.

Canongate publishing director Nick Davies defended it as a “nuanced and balanced portrait” of a complex individual.

“He has been portrayed as this Bond villain or a character from a Stieg Larsson novel … but what comes through here is this very human portrait of Julian, warts and all,” he said.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:13 PM

    Merry Christmas to all the staff at the Journal and all the let’s just say opiniated commenters haha. Wouldnt be the same without the daily arguments. Have a good one guys. Be merry!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:07 PM

    Who are you to tell me to be merry?

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:43 PM

    Tosser

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:16 PM

    Normally I take these things with a pinch of salt, but I would gladly watch Muppets Christmas Carol on repeat in July.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:20 PM

    Merry Christmas to all the readers and to the trolls and shinnerbods who keep the rest of us normal people on our toes in the comments section ! We know who you are !

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:34 PM

    Merry Christmas to all the teenyboppers with multiple fake accounts who have nothing better to be doing than constantly talking about sinn féin and saying the same stuff over and over. Yous know who ye are. Merry Christmas all!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:39 PM

    SFIRA?

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:45 PM

    Ger-m8!

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    Merry Christmas to all the west brits who write on the journal

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:07 PM

    DieHard..yippeee kayaaa..mother superior….etc

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:06 PM

    Roses are muck, time for Cadburys to cull them!!!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:19 PM

    They were probably always muck but we never knew better however it’s traditional to eat a few…. boxes..

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    Dec 25th 2015, 5:47 PM

    Its cadburys thats muck…changing the recipe to a successful product to save money sucks

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:08 PM

    Whoever eats the bounty style sweets should be shot!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:07 PM

    Miracle on 34th street. Sound.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:28 PM

    Am gutted that Raiders of the lost ark isn’t on. It’s not Christmas without it.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:17 PM

    Merry Mythmas!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:15 PM

    Happily watch National Lampoons!! Actually think I will. Bad Santa last night!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:57 PM

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:46 PM

    ”Song of the Sea, because it’s lovely and the rest of the family haven”t seen it.. Merry Christmas everyone. Drive safe.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:27 PM

    Gareth that’s a great little movie to watch , a real family one.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:14 PM

    Schindler’s List, ?

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:25 PM

    Great movie!

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:36 PM

    Muppets Christmas Carol I got. Yep I like the story of Scrooge

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:25 PM

    With very young kids, snow white does the job

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:21 PM

    Now 3pm – who could miss HM the Queen. Even the shinners would find it hard to disagree with her views and sentiments.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:35 PM

    I was watching our own queen “panty blisses” summing up of 2015 on tv3. Made for great telly.. Not

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    Dec 25th 2015, 3:53 PM

    He’s had his 15 minutes of fame now. Please no more.

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    Dec 25th 2015, 4:27 PM

    Totally agree !

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    Dec 25th 2015, 6:28 PM

    2nd poll I’ve done telling me National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is “my” film. I hate it

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    Dec 26th 2015, 12:06 AM

    Batteries not included!!

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    Dec 26th 2015, 2:30 AM

    You should watch… Muppets Christmas Carol

    Light the lamp, not the rat!

    Never say it, don’t fancy it either…

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    Dec 26th 2015, 2:31 AM

    Know too many muppets anyway lol.

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