Galloway: Assange's Behaviour 'Was Not Rape'

Respect Party MP George Galloway has attacked Sweden's attempt to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over sexual assault claims.

Mr Galloway said allegations made against Mr Assange: "Don’t constitute rape," but he also condemned as "disgusting" what he described as Mr Assange's "sexual behaviour".

The Respect MP made the comments during his podcast, Good Night With George Galloway.

"Woman A met Julian Assange, invited him back to her flat, gave him dinner, went to bed with him, (and) had consensual sex with him," he said.

"(She) claims that she woke up to him having sex with her again. This is something which can happen, you know.

"I mean, not everybody needs to be asked prior to each insertion. Some people believe that when you go to bed with somebody, take off your clothes, and have sex with them and then fall asleep, you're already in the sex game with them."

Mr Galloway goes on to suggest that for a man not to obtain verbal consent prior to sexual intercourse was "sordid", but nonetheless did not constitute rape.

"It might be really bad manners not to have tapped her on the shoulder and said, 'Do you mind if I do it again?'

"It might be really sordid and bad sexual etiquette, but whatever else it is, it is not rape, or you bankrupt the term rape of all meaning.

"I don't believe either of those women, I don't believe either of these stories."

Mr Galloway's comments provoked anger on Twitter and they came 24 hours after US Senate Republican candidate Todd Akin earned a rebuke from fellow Republican Mitt Romney for his comments on rape and abortion.

During an interview on US television station KTVI-TV the Missouri representative referenced what he called "legitimate rape".

Mr Akin, who is strongly opposed to abortion, was criticised for suggesting this meant some acts of rape are acceptable. President Barack Obama later told a news conference Mr Akin's comments were "offensive".

Mr Obama said: "Rape is rape ...the idea of distinguishing among types of rape doesn’t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn’t make sense to me."

However, Mr Akin claims he "misspoke" and some commentators have suggested Mr Akin was merely distancing his comments from instances where women falsely claim they have been raped in order to obtain free abortions.