Above: Supporters of Julian Assange gather outside Westminster Court after Assange’s arrest. Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz for AFP-NurPhoto.
ACTIONS:
New York, NY – Thursday, May 2, 2019 British Consulate 885 Second Avenue (at 47th Street) 4:30 pm to 6:00.
Julian Assange is incarcerated and being threatened with extradition to the United States where he is facing prosecution for publishing documents that exposed US war crimes and corporate corruption.
On May 2, the preliminary hearing will be held in London on the extradition proceedings. It is important for the movement seeking to Free Julian Assange to be highly visible in expressing our opposition to the political persecution of a publisher who has reported some of the most important stories of this century and has created a democratized media that empowers people and breaks the stranglehold of corporate domination of the media.
If you are planning an action, contact us at Popular Resistance so we can post it and spread the word. Email info@popularresistance.org.
It is evident from the indictment that Assange is being prosecuted for his journalism. The threat to Assange is a threat to Freedom of the Press in the 21st Century. Our right to know what governments are doing in our name, and how big business interests corrupt policy is being threatened. For seven years Assange has been persecuted, and it has led to this threat of a US political prosecution that should not go forward.
The prosecution by the United States of a foreign journalist based outside of the United States for publishing the truth about the United States is a threat to journalists everywhere. This prosecution will intimidate publishers, editors and journalists for every reporting the truth about crimes by the United States anywhere in the world.
May 1 is May Day and some organizers of activities for that day want to include Assange in their actions. We welcome that intersectionality of uniting issues of freedom and justice. Worker’s rights are closely connected to having a free press that can report the truth.
It is also important that on the day of the first hearing in the extradition proceeding the court sees people of the world taking action in support of Assange and in opposition to his extradition. The extradition proceedings are likely to be a long process and the movement must build a campaign to prevent Assange’s extradition.
We urge people to take action at British embassies in the United States, at US Department of Justice and US Attorney’s offices and other appropriate locations on May 1 and 2, and if you are in London to be at the Westminster Court for the hearing.
If you are planning an action please notify us at info@PopularResistance.org as we will have a list of actions around the world to notify people so they can participate.