On Saturday 8/01/22 a full activity of solidarity with Julian Assange starting at HMP Belmarsh at 11:30 with a solidarity vigil. Earlier in the Week Julian Assange had completed 1000 days of imprisonment. The heavy rain made flyering almost impossible but the supporters soldered on with a march to the gates of HMP Belmarsh marking the event.
After no police presence for months, 2 policemen appeared as supporters were setting up with another four appearing later and all of them remaining for the duration of the action in the vicinity watching the supporters to the ratio of 1:1. Incredible wasting of police resources.
The solidarity action moved to Trafalgar Square were The Committee to Defend Julian Assange had made a call out for solidarity with the Close Guantanamo Network who marked 20 years of the opening of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. We distributed purposefully made flyers for the occasion highlighting the plight of Julian Assange and explaining the connection between WikiLeaks publication ‘The Guantanamo Files’ and Julian Assange prosecution.
Various organisations and individuals made speeches and a number of Free Assange supporters participated in the action by wearing the orange Guantanamo prison suit. We were also joined by #FreeTheTruth organiser and activist Dr Deepa Driver. Some of us recalled the November 2016 action outside the US Embassy organised by the London Guantanamo Campaign, in which we had participated and other similar actions.
Today we joined @amnestylondon to remember the people who have been tortured – 39 of which are still being tortured – at #Guantanamo#JulianAssange is being tortured in Belmarsh prison, for revealing the truth on Guantanamo.#GitmoFiles#JailTheWarCriminals #CloseGuantanamoNOW pic.twitter.com/iumYrXqUSM
— Committee to Defend Julian Assange (@JA_Defence) January 8, 2022
Here are some videos from the event featuring some of the speakers who were: John McDonnell MP, author and campaigning journalist/Close Guantánamo Andy Worthington, Lise Rossi from Amnesty International UK Coordinator for North America, Steve Cranshaw, Director of Policy and Advocacy from Freedom From Torture, Imam Sulaiman Ghani, Film Director Kevin MacDonald who directed ‘The Mauritanian’, Kate Hudson from CND, Dave Ebester from Guántanamo Justice Campaign and Noel Hamel from the London Guantanamo Campaign.
So grateful to all the activists who participated in the events despite the weather!, special thanks to Antonia and Joe for the photos and videos, Maxine and Derek for the beautiful flyer, featuring a Somerset Bean design.
In Solidarity
#FreeAssange
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