Today’s arrest of WikiLeaks founder and DiEM25 Advisory Panel member Julian Assange is a chilling demonstration of the current disregard for Human Rights and freedom of speech by establishment powers and the rising far-right. The message is clear: persecute voices of dissent and create an atmosphere of fear.

The illegal termination of Assange’s asylum at Ecuador’s London embassy shows that there are no boundaries in the coordinated crackdown on journalists and activists who are critical of the authoritarian shift that is taking place world-wide – from the US to Turkey, from Hungary to Brazil, and now from Ecuador to… the UK.

“Julian is in custody for breaching bail conditions imposed over a warrant that was… rescinded. Anyone else would be fined and released. Except that Julian Assange’s persecution is all about challenging our right to know about the crimes governments commit in our name,” said DiEM25 founder and European Parliament candidate, Yanis Varoufakis.

We as DieM25 demand that UK authorities do not become accomplices of those whose only intention is to manufacture legal fabrications, narratives and create false enemies among the people. The UK government must to defend people’s rights to freedom of expression and protect those who fight for transparency. This can be the only antidote to preventing the continued rise of the extremists.

We further call on the EU to condemn this atrocious action which undermines the core values of our Union, and reiterate our support for our dear friend and founding member Julian Assange.

Sign the petition against Julian Assange’s extradition to the US: https://i.diem25.org/petitions/1

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