After 14 years of persecution, the WikiLeaks publisher is free. We must honor the hundreds of thousands of people across the globe who made this happen.
Free as a Bird — by Mr. Fish.
The dark machinery of empire, whose mendacity and savagery Julian Assange exposed to the world, spent 14 years trying to destroy him. They cut him off from his funding, canceling his bank accounts and credit cards. They invented bogus charges of sexual assault to get him extradited to Sweden, where he would then be shipped to the U.S.
They trapped him in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for seven years after he was given political asylum and Ecuadorian citizenship by refusing him safe passage to Heathrow Airport. They orchestrated a change of government in Ecuador that saw him stripped of his asylum, harassed and humiliated by a pliant embassy staff. They contracted the Spanish security firm UC Global in the embassy to record all his conversations, including those with his attorneys.
The C.I.A. discussed kidnapping or assassinating him. They arranged for London’s Metropolitan Police to raid the embassy — sovereign territory of Ecuador — and seize him. They held him for five years in the high security HM Prison Belmarsh, often in solitary confinement.
And all the while they carried out a judicial farce in the British courts where due process was ignored so an Australian citizen, whose publication was not based in the U.S. and who, like all journalists, received documents from whistleblowers, could be charged under the Espionage Act.
[See: How America’s Official Secrets Act Ensnared Julian Assange]
They tried over and over and over to destroy him. They failed. But Julian was not released because the courts defended the rule of law and exonerated a man who had not committed a crime. He was not released because the Biden White House and the intelligence community have a conscience. He was not released because the news organizations that published his revelations and then threw him under the bus, carrying out a vicious smear campaign, pressured the U.S. government.
He was released — granted a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department, according to court documents — in spite of these institutions. He was released because day after day, week after week, year after year, hundreds of thousands of people around the globe mobilized to decry the imprisonment of the most important journalist of our generation. Without this mobilization, Julian would not be free.
Assange supporters march on U.K. Parliament in London, February 2020. (Joe Lauria)
Mass protests do not always work. The genocide in Gaza continues to exact its gruesome toll on Palestinians. Mumia Abu-Jamal is still locked up in a Pennsylvania prison. The fossil fuel industry ravages the planet. But it is the most potent weapon we have to defend ourselves from tyranny.
This sustained pressure — during a London hearing in 2020, to my delight, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser of the Old Bailey court overseeing Julian’s case, complained about the noise protestors were making in the street outside — shines a continuous light on injustice and exposes the amorality of the ruling class. This is why spaces in the British courts were so limited and blurry eyed activists lined up outside as early as 4 a.m. to secure a seat for journalists they respected, my spot secured by Franco Manzi, a retired policeman.
These people are unsung and often unknown. But they are heroes. They move mountains. They surrounded Parliament. They stood in the pouring rain outside the courts. They were dogged and steadfast. They made their collective voices heard. They saved Julian. And as this dreadful saga ends, and Julian and his family I hope, find peace and healing in Australia, we must honor them. They shamed the politicians in Australia to stand up for Julian, an Australian citizen, and finally Britain and the U.S. to give up. I do not say to do the right thing. This was a surrender. We should be proud of it.
I met Julian when I accompanied his attorney, Michael Ratner, to meetings in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Michael, one of the great civil rights attorneys of our era, stressed that popular protest was a vital component in every case he brought against the state. Without it, the state could carry out its persecution of dissidents, disregard for the law and crimes in darkness.
Assange supporters on June 16, 2013, outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. (Xavier Granja Cedeño, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Wikimedia Commons)
People like Michael, along with Jennifer Robinson, Stella Assange, WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, Nils Melzer, Craig Murray, Roger Waters, Ai WeiWei, John Pilger and Julian’s father John Shipton and brother Gabriel, were instrumental in the fight. But they could not have done it alone.
We desperately need mass movements. The climate crisis is accelerating. The world, with the exception of Yemen, stands passive watching a live streamed genocide. The senseless greed of limitless capitalist expansion has turned everything from human beings to the natural world into commodities that are exploited until exhaustion or collapse. The decimation of civil liberties has shackled us, as Julian warned, to an interconnected security and surveillance apparatus that stretches across the globe.
The ruling global class has shown its hand. It intends, in the global north, to build climate fortresses and in the global south to use its industrial weapons to lock out and slaughter the desperate the way it is slaughtering the Palestinians.
WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson addressing the press in London on Jan. 24, 2022; Stella Assange is on his right. (Alisdare Hickson, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)
State surveillance is far more intrusive than that employed by past totalitarian regimes. Critics and dissidents are easily marginalized or silenced on digital platforms. This totalitarian structure — the political philosopher Sheldon Wolin called it “inverted totalitarianism” — is being imposed by degrees. Julian warned us. As the power structure feels threatened by a restive population that repudiates its corruption, amassing obscene levels of wealth, endless wars, ineptitude and mounting repression, the fangs it exposed to Julian will be exposed to us.
The goal of wholesale surveillance, as Hannah Arendt writes in The Origins of Totalitarianism, is not, in the end, to discover crimes, “but to be on hand when the government decides to arrest a certain category of the population.” And because our emails, phone conversations, web searches and geographical movements are recorded and stored in perpetuity in government databases, because we are the most photographed and followed population in human history, there will be more than enough “evidence” to seize us should the state deem it necessary. This constant surveillance and personal data waits like a deadly virus inside government vaults to be turned against us. It does not matter how trivial or innocent that information is. In totalitarian states, justice, like truth, is irrelevant.
The traveling art installation “Anything to Say?” by Davide Dormino featuring bronze sculptures of Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning standing on chairs, in Berlin on May Day 2015. The fourth, empty chair invites individuals “to stand up instead of sitting like the others.” (Davide Dormino, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The object of all totalitarian systems is to inculcate a climate of fear to paralyze a captive population. Citizens seek security in the structures that oppress them. Imprisonment, torture and murder are saved for unmanageable renegades such as Julian. The totalitarian state achieves this control, Arendt wrote, by crushing human spontaneity, and by extension human freedom. The population is immobilized by trauma. The courts, along with legislative bodies, legalize state crimes. We saw all this in the persecution of Julian. It is an ominous harbinger of the future.
The corporate state must be destroyed if we are to restore our open society and save our planet. Its security apparatus must be dismantled. The mandarins who manage corporate totalitarianism, including the leaders of the two major political parties, fatuous academics, pundits and a bankrupt media, must be driven from the temples of power.
Mass street protests and prolonged civil disobedience are our only hope. A failure to rise up — which is what the corporate state is counting on — will see us enslaved and the earth’s ecosystem become inhospitable to human habitation. Let us take a lesson from the courageous men and women who took to the streets for 14 years to save Julian. They showed us how it is done.
Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East bureau chief and Balkan bureau chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor and NPR. He is the host of show “The Chris Hedges Report.”
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Thank God there are too many of us for the systems of oppression to silence. There are not enough fingers at their disposal to staunch the leaks in the carefully constructed dikes to withhold information about the heinous crimes of those who would stop at nothing to enslave all of humanity. The ending of the movie version of Grapes of Wrath says it all. “We are the people, and we just keep coming.” May it ever be so!
There is one last step of this Assange drama to be played out.
Several people know the truth, when will one of these cowards spill it?
The summer/fall DNC leak or hack?
Who gave the files to WikiLeaks?
“ Once, again, Chris Hedges is 100%, CORRECT!!! AND, Mr. Fish, paints the times, “Free as a Bird.”
…..* “Long live the pioneers. Rebels and mutineers. Go forth and have no fear. Come close and lend an ear.” “Livin’ like we’re renegades.”
“They saved Julian.”……“day after day, week after week, year after year, hundreds of thousands of people around the globe,” Saved & PROTECTED Julian Assange from “The Beast,” AUKUS. Whom, I, LeoSun, have “credited” for “Doing the Right Thing,” Setting, Julian Assange, FREE. Followed by, 1) “Acting in good faith,” w/o a moral compass; w/o “coming clean;” w/o, Repenting! No Apologies, fm the UKUS. Not even a “Thank You,” Julian Assange, for taking the bullet, “day after day, month after month, year after year,” 14+ Years, on behalf of AUKUS. Time, already, “SERVED.”
However, once, again, Chris Hedges’ CORRECTLY calls it, “SURRENDER.” I agree, 100%. “Welcome,” to The Malarky Factory: 2) CANCELLED Assange’s “Appeal.” 3) Consequently, CANCELLING Assange’s “prolonged imprisonment.” 4) Cancelling Assange’s “CHANCE,” to own 1st Amendment Rights, for his profession, investigative journalism & publishing, public service; NOT, exclusive to Assange’s profession!!! 4) Cancelling AUKUS’ “defense” of the very public persecution of Julian Assange. AUKUS’ “Own it. Do it. Done,” moment, GONE! However, *“The US president owns every despicable aspect of” Julian Assange’s years of living “under the gun,” w/the threat of “disappearance,” into the dark, USG’s gated-community, a super-high security prison, in “Colorful Colorado,” i.e., “Julian Assange: A story of persecution,” [NILS MELZER] “reminds us that when telling the truth becomes a crime, we will all be living in a tyranny.”“We are on the edge of that precipice now. The incarceration of Julian Assange for revealing war crimes is the most crucial judicial scandal of this century.” JohnJiggens
…….. “Even in the darkest room, the light of a single candle is enough to enable everyone to see. Julian Assange has lit such a candle with his work. He has exposed war crimes, abuse and corruption that has been concealed behind a curtain of secrecy. It was only a brief glimpse behind the curtain, but sometimes one glimpse is enough to change our whole world view. We now know that this curtain of secrecy exists and that a parallel world of dirty secrets lies behind it.” NILS MELZER, UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture & Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
“Thank You, Julian Assange!!!”
“If, you can’t be the lighthouse, be the candle,” i.e., WikiLeaks founder Assange, “Welcomed Home,” in Australia, a free man after [USG] deal. “I had a very warm discussion with [Julian Assange] this evening, he was very generous in his praise of the Australian government’s efforts. The Australian government stands up for Australian citizens, that’s what we do.” Australia’s PM Albanese; AND, on Monday, June 24, 2024, before the cock crowed, in the morning, Julian Assange, w/his Defense Team, “Justice For Julian!!!” was outta HM Belmarsh Prison!!! Saved. Protected. Rescued!”
Everybody, One. Everybody, Two. Everybody, FREE!” Onward & Upwards!!!
“You know his friends, you know him,” i.e., TY, Chris Hedges, Mr. Fish, CN, the “hundreds of thousands of people around the globe,” KEEP IT LIT!”
“He has exposed war crimes, abuse and corruption that has been concealed behind a curtain of secrecy.”
No longer is there a curtain of secrecy. The blatant war crimes, abuse and corruption are thrown in our face in the guise of Israeli “self defence”. What a mockery they make of us. What a tainted, debauched exhibition they reveal.
Far too generous in his praise of the Australian government’s rather feeble efforts, if you ask me. Prime Minister Albanese has exploited this to his advantage by taking credit where little was due.
But I believe that Julian and his legal team think it is wise to humour the Australian government, at least for now. It might keep them from demanding reimbursement for the charter plane too quickly, even though you’d think they would cover the cost. It might keep them off his back while he recuperates. Although, I am certain they, and the US spy agencies, will be watching him around the clock.
Valerie & WillD,
No doubt about it, “the System’s, Broke.” Bankrupt! Busted! Can it be fixed?
…… “Like birds on a wire; or, a drunk, in a midnight choir, we have tried, in our way, to be free.”
No doubt about it, Albanese’s cup runneth over w/“feeble efforts;” &, w/Joy & Relief, that PM Albanese must feel about “Australia” saving, protecting, rescuing “the one in most need,” Julian Assange!
No doubt, “many people,” feel Julian Assange “living, free” is a giant can of f/up; NOT, imo, a COLOSSAL can of “whoop a_ _.” Consequently, The USG v. Julian Assange, Case is CLOSED.
……… “All hail, the underdogs. It’s our time to make a move. It’s our time to make amends. It’s our time to break the rules. Let’s begin.” Livin’ Like Renegades.
Imo, the “immediate” fall-out, per The USG’s v. Julian Assange’s plea deal, is the lack of the USG’s “assurance” that the 1st Amendment is the insurance that protects, promotes, ensures journalists, publishers, people, “own” a fierce, Free Press! Otherwise, Needed: Malpractice in$urance, insuring the “for, profit” industry rocks @ “our” expense. Imo, the USG ignores the fact that “accomplishment of purpose is better than making a profit!”
The take-away, Julian Assange is tasked with “hammering out and/or laundering, BleachBit” WikiLeaks’ files/portfolio. No doubt, the “humoring,” hypocrisy, & 24/7 surveillance, executed by the USG, into every nook & cranny of plant, animal & human life, “lives.”
TY, Valerie, WillD, CN, for “Keeping It Real.” Ciao
Thank you Chris Hedges for your writings and active protests along with those you mention in your article. I admit (confess) I did not publicly protest, but I tried in my poetry to write about the oppressive threatening MSM, deep state, etc. And this may sound strange to some, but I prayed every night before Julian’s photo on the wall in my bedroom, touched the photo gently to say Goodnight. May you all who risked so much for Julian be blest. And may many follow your example now and into the future. / and may Julian and his family have peace and happiness for many years to come.
Thanks to CN and to Chris Hedges, too. People who carry this struggle forward prominently run particular risks to do so, and merit and require particular support.
It is so refreshing to hear from Chris Hedges the dictatorship by the most wealthy in capitalist countries, instead of being
brainwashed by constantly being told of the totalitarianism of so-called communist countries, although none actually
exist at the moment.
I am living in France, and although I did not do anything spectacular for Julian Assange, I have tried in a very modest way to popularize the fight for his liberation. I do not deserve any particular thank you, and anyway the fact that Julian is free today is for me the best rewarding thing. I wish him happiness and fulfillment for the rest of his life. Julian should be proud of his achievements, because he helped so many of us to see and understand the true face of power and evil in this world. Thank you to you, Julian, and long life!
I am proud to have been one of those who marched, protested, spoke at rallies, wrote articles, wrote to Julian, and harangued anyone and everyone about Julian’s case for all 15 years. Lots of people thought I was crazy. They were and are ignorant as stumps. I thank all of my world companions in these protests. We did it because it was right. Because Julian was and is right.
Thankyou Carolyn. Even though my contribution was a small “chair for Assange” single person protest (with my little dog), it feels as though, yes, as i always say: little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Our endeavours are far from over though.
JULIAN ASSANGE FREED
Very true. Thank you Carolyn, Valerie, CN and everyone who supports Julian Assange and the 1st Amendment. We aint gonna go quietly, we’ll go kicking and screaming
“…as early as 1969…”
“…a group of students at MIT and Harvard attempted to shutdown research taking place at their universities…”
“…they saw this computer network as the start of of a hybrid private-public system of surveillance and control…”
“…and warned that it would be used to spy on Americans and wage war on progressive political movements.”
“…they were right.”
-Yasha Levine
Surveillance Valley p.8
“…the uncertainty that one may be under surveillance at any time for any reason induces obedience in that individual, allowing a small number of people to control the masses.”
-Whitney Webb
One Nation Under Blackmail Vol.2 p.363 (Endnote 23)
Writing about Michel Foucault’s interpretation of the “Panopticon” in his book Discipline and Punish. “…a new, revolutionary prison design, …”
I do feel a little disobedient typing this. So bravo Alex Karp of Palantir.
“…Palantir was developed to be the privatized panopticon of the national-security state…”
-Ibid p.362
I’m in total agreement with Mr. Hedges here. And to think that the Albanese govt. in Australia is trying to take credit for getting him released. Yet the bill for the plane ride will be over a half million USD, owed to the Australian govt. The Financial Times has an article praising the Australian government for “lobbying” for the release. (“Lobbying” in the US is a euphemism for bribery, so they were not really “lobbying”). As if FT did anything positive to inform folks about the Assange case. No surprise, typical hypocrisy and BS.
And Genocide Joe will try to take credit as well, to rehabilitate his tattered reputation among the D party faithful, and especially younger folks. His cynical and well-timed immigration order is another election-year stunt to burnish his image.
Meanwhile, the Bipartisan Consensus/Washington Consensus prevails, unless people rise up and refuse to take part in the sham.
Anyone who “votes” for one of the two genocidal freaks promoted by the oligarchy-owned BigMoneyMedia, will be complicit in genocide. The sarcastic question I’m going to ask is “which genocidal sociopath will you vote for?”
Yes Jonny. These charlatan politicians would have us believe its all their doing. Well if that’s the case, what took them so bloody long???? Mr. Hedges is right. All those thousands, continually causing a rucus ouside courts, prisons, embassies etc. They made their voices heard.
JULIAN ASSANGE FREED
Make that 3 “genocidal freaks,” as RFK jr has signed on 100% with the Zionist Billionaires. Iwill write in Cornel West.