Campaigners combating for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be freed have staged a “night carnival” within the capital.
Around 2,000 folks from the Don’t Extradite Assange marketing campaign assembled at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, near Holborn, earlier than marching previous Parliament Square at round 6pm on Saturday.
Assange has been detained at HMP Belmarsh in southeast London since he was expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2019, after being holed up there for greater than seven years.
He is at present combating extradition to the United States after submitting an enchantment to the European Court of Human Rights in December.
Assange’s spouse, Stella, addressed crowds at a rally in Westminster, holding up a shawl made by certainly one of her husband’s most loyal supporters, the late Dame Vivienne Westwood.
Mrs Assange stated the carnival made “a big impact on central London” and hailed the “incredible” response.
“We need to keep building until the movement is so big that those in power and the courts realise that there is nowhere else to go than to free Julian,” she stated.
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Richard Ratcliffe, additionally appeared on stage.
“I’m here as a point of hope,” he stated.
Other audio system included former Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn; WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson, and Dame Vivienne’s son, Ben Westwood.
The late dressmaker’s son described how he and his mom visited Assange within the Ecuadorian Embassy on quite a few events, revealing how he walked the catwalk in a style present held within the constructing in 2014.
The procession was led by an enormous golden effigy of Lady Justice, usually seen blindfolded and carrying a sword and scales, a statue of whom stands on high of the Old Bailey.
Some campaigners additionally dressed because the statue whereas others depicted prisoners and judges with flashing pink noses.
Many additionally opted for vibrant carnival apparel as they banged drums and held up placards with slogans together with “Hands off Assange – don’t shoot the messenger”.
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The Don’t Extradite Assange marketing campaign tweeted that it had a “fantastic turnout” for the occasion.
National coordinator, John Rees, stated the group has a “responsibility to make sure this case doesn’t fade from the public eye”.
“Julian Assange has been convicted of absolutely no crime, and justice delayed is justice denied,” he stated.
“The newspapers that collaborated with Assange have written a joint letter supporting his release, and he has the support of most major human rights organisations in the world.
“This is unprecedented and typically this might have been sufficient to have him freed.
“I hope our action tonight will help put pressure on the British and American administrations to free Julian Assange.”
Source: information.sky.com”