Hundreds of activists gathered today outside the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to protest against the extradition of Julian Assange to the US.
The protest, organised by DiEM25, counted with the participation of Ai Weiwei, Angela Richter, Srećko Horvat and many others and featured an exclusive letter from Edward Snowden, which was read out by Angela Richter.
Check out the videos below!
Letter from Edward Snowden in support of Julian Assange
For years, Julian Assange has warned that the moment he found himself outside political asylum, the government of the United States would demand his imprisonment, warnings that in each of those years were discounted by his many critics as ridiculous, but today have been shown to be true.
“There was a dream of what Europe could be, and that is a dream that Europe has lost, and the lack of that dream is producing its fragmentation, it permits rogue states in Europe, states that compromise the genuine interests of the European people (…) that collapse in the dream of Europe is something that cannot be permitted, we must fight against it. Otherwise, winter is coming, war is coming, the end of Europe is coming, and either we must seize the day, and divert Europe from the cause it is on… or else we will have to suffer through a very harsh night.”
(Julian Assange, DiEM25’s Advisory Panel member, at DiEM25’s launch in Berlin)
On the day of the first extradition hearing in London’s court, we are inviting you to join the public protest DiEM25 and Demokratie in Europa will be staging at one of Germany’s most iconic monuments: the Brandenburger Gate.
On Thursday, May 2, 2019, we will demonstrate just a few meters away from the UK and US embassies – the two countries that hold the future of WikiLeaks founder and DiEM25 Advisory Panel member Julian Assange and freedom of press in their hands. Please tell everyone you know about the protest!
You see,, Germany is not – and should not be – an innocent by-stander.
As we already know from Edward Snowden’s revelations on NSA spying on Germany, the sovereignty of Germany – its journalists and the privacy of its citizens – is also under threat. The May 2 court hearing in London is more than just about Julian Assange. It’s about our right to know. It’s about you and me.
And while Chelsea Manning remains in prison, precisely because she rejected to testify against WikiLeaks, the protection of whistleblowers has never been more important – and urgent, all across Europe, including Germany. The stakes are global.
It’s highly likely that the US is preparing to file more charges against Julian. The current indictment is but an attempt to criminalise long-established source protection practices and journalists working with whistleblowers aiming to disclose classified information for the public interest.
Scores of press freedom organisations, news outlets, United Nations representatives, politicians and public figures have denounced Julian’s arrest and his possible extradition and have warned of its worrying implications.
Whatever the outcome of the court hearing, the very fact that Julian is being kept in solitary confinement at the “British Guantanamo” Belmarsh prison, is enough for us to gather at the Brandenburger Gate to protest against the inhuman conditions he is facing now and to loudly say Stop the extradition of Julian Assange!
Join us to lend our voice to Julian and to the journalists, whistleblowers and freedom of press activists around the globe who’s lives are at risk for defending our right to know. If you don’t live near Berlin, spread the word and spread the petition against Julian’s extradition.
The “We are all Julian Assange!” protest will begin at 12:00 with speeches by German theater director Angela Richter, Whistleblower Network chairman Annegret Falter, biologist and founder of EcoLeaks Esteban Servat, and myself. The speeches will be followed by a reading of a short statement by Edward Snowden brought by Angela Richter from Moscow to this special DiEM25-led public demonstration.
For Edward Snowden, our demonstration is not just about “a man who stands in jeopardy, but the future of the free press”.
And last but not least, a DiEM25 and Demokratie in Europa message to all German voters: don’t vote for any party at European Elections that is not ready to stand in the protection of whistleblowers, freedom of press, and, more specifically, to oppose Julian’s extradition to the United States.
There is no future for Europe – no democracy – without the freedom of press.
Looking forward to seeing you at Brandenburger Gate (Pariser Platz) on May 2 at 12:00.
Here are some masks you can print for the protest: Mask-Germany, Mask-US, Mask-UK
We are all Julian Assange!
Srećko Horvat
>>DiEM25 co-founder
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