Support week of action for Julian Assange to send Albanese the message: ‘Enough is enough!’

This week, the 16th anniversary of the founding of WikiLeaks, is a week of action around the world for WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange.

Assange is rotting in the UK’s Belmarsh Prison, fighting extradition to the USA, just so the Anglo-American war party whose crimes and cover-ups he exposed can make an example of him to anyone else tempted to blow the whistle on their governments’ crimes.

The worst part is Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was a member of the Parliamentary Friends of Assange group before the election, and declared in relation to Assange’s legal persecution, “enough is enough”.

Albanese could insist UK PM Liz Truss and US President Joe Biden free Assange, but instead he’s gone quiet—unwilling to stand up to the war party.

It’s up to the Australian people to demand Albanese stop rolling over to the British and Americans and insist they let Assange go.

Events

The main Assange events this week are in his hometown of Melbourne. Click here for the list of events.

All Melbourne residents who support freedom for Assange should get along to as many as you can to amplify the message to Albanese.

The following two events are especially recommended:

David McBride: Declassified. Q&A with father of Julian Assange, Mr John Shipton
Where: Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon Street Carlton, within Lygon Court.
When: Thursday 6 October, 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Australian war crimes whistleblower David McBride and Julian Assange’s father John Shipton will be at the screening of the short film about David McBride, Declassified, and participate in a Q&A session afterwards.

This event, which was formerly ticketed, is now free to attend.

SOS Stand Up 4 Assange! Melbourne 8 Oct
Where: Princes Bridge, St Kilda Road Melbourne
When: Meet at 10:00 AM to prepare for an 11:00 AM human chain

Please join Julian’s father and brother, John and Gabriel Shipton with David McBride in the formation of a human chain along the banks of the Yarra river at Southbank. They will speak at 12:30 PM on Princes Bridge, after the human chain, as we prepare to march.

Together we will draw a line—physically and metaphorically. Australians do not stand for the ongoing political persecution of our Walkley Award-winning truth teller at the expense of sovereignty, press freedom and democracy.

The events in Melbourne on 8 October will coincide with:

• a protest at the British High Commission in Canberra at 11:00 AM, which will feature former ACT Attorney General Bernard Collaery; journalist Jack Waterford; former Greens MLA Caroline le Couteur; possibly current ACT Attorney General Shane Rattenbury and ACT Senator David Pocock; and Blaise Tirla with his song for Assange;
• A Byron Bay Vigil for Julian Assange in solidarity with Human Chain of Hands around British Houses of Parliament;
• And in London, a Human Chain Surrounding Parliament to Free Assange.

Assange’s status proves Australia has no sovereignty, but is subservient to the USA and UK. Australians can either accept that, not accept it but just whine about it, or not accept it and demand our sovereignty, starting with demanding our PM follow through on his own statements and insist on Assange’s freedom.

To do the latter, get along to these events.