Isle of Wight CLP at the all members meeting held on the 25th February 2020.
MOTION: A motion from the Ryde Branch calling for the immediate release of Julian Assange from Belmarsh prison and calling on the UK Government to block his extradition to the US was overwhelmingly carried. The motion also called for the release of whistle blower, Chelsea Manning, who is still in prison for refusing to testify against Julian Assange. An amendment calling on the CLP to write to the NEC asking that a statement be made on behalf of the LP in support of these issues was also overwhelmingly carried.
Motion by Ryde Labour Party Branch carried on 3rd September 2019.
This meeting of Ryde Labour Party Branch condemns the Espionage Act charges against WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange. The indictments issued by the US Department of Justice on May 23 carry a prison term of 175 years and are a frontal assault on the freedom of the press.
If extradited to the US, he could face additional charges that carry the death penalty. It is not just Assange’s fate that is in the balance. The democratic rights of the entire labour movement and of working people as a whole are at stake here.
We demand Assange’s immediate release from Belmarsh Prison and that the UK government block his extradition to the United States. We also call for the immediate release of courageous whistle-blower Chelsea Manning who has been re-jailed for refusing to testify against Assange.
We resolve to fight for Assange’s freedom and call on all Labour Party branches to come to his defence. An injury to one is an injury to all!
