Peace Strike "ON STRIKE FOR PEACE"

PLEA TO PRITI PATEL HOME SECRETARY, ON BEHALF OF JULIAN ASSANGE

17th May 2022

Dear Priti Patel,

Potentially, this could be your finest hour!

You are on the brink of making a monumental decision that will affect so many people and the way they live their lives and the freedoms they enjoy.

Both nationally and internationally the ramifications, of your decision could have potentially very serious and far-reaching consequences.

Journalism is under threat of oppression by the state.

The right to investigate and expose the truth is in danger of being outlawed. The right for freedom of expression, freedom to print and publish and expose the truth – without fear or favor – are all at risk.

Journalists cannot work in an atmosphere of fear and potential threat of being imprisoned, this is not how a democratic country operates.

Priti Patel, so much is at stake here, the very fabric of our society and the way it functions.  

Julian Assange has been held in Britain’s No1 Maximum Security Prison for over 3 years.

Tell us, Priti Patel, what are the charges the UK government has on Julian Assange????

We say none.

It is purely politically motivated by the US and their desire to charge Julian Assange under the Espionage Act of the US, for revealing war crimes.

For exposing the shameful truth.

When we watch the Iraq War logs, we are witnesses to cold blooded murder, openly sanctioned by the US government.

Julian Assange was acquitted of all charges relating to the Swedish Judiciary.

There is no crime he is guilty of under UK law.

Julian Assange has suffered unimaginable pain and anguish during his time of incarceration.

His wife, children and family have suffered equally, for no good reason.

We beseech you Priti Patel, to be brave, do the right thing by history and your country, and stop the extradition of Julian Assange.

We will support you; we will applaud you, and we will laud you!!!

Help us to feel proud again to be British!

Give us hope Priti Patel, make the right decision and free Julian Assange back to his family

History will look kindly upon you for standing up to the might of the US and for giving us back our grace and dignity.

Above all we must celebrate that TRUTH IS IMPORTANT.

If you miss this opportunity to do the right thing, then the consequences are far reaching and will not be able to be undone.

You will commit Julian Assange to life imprisonment away from all those that love him dearly.

Please Priti Patel, on all that is decent and good,

STOP THE EXTRADITION OF JULIAN ASSANGE

We will pray that you find the courage, strength and support to help

You make the right decision.

Sincerely,

Maria Gallastegui

On behalf of the Peace Strike Campaign

17^th May 2022

Statement in support of Julian Assange, who is being held as a prisoner but is not charged with any crime in the UK.

Julian Assange has been in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison for over 3 years without charge. He has been accused by the US government of Espionage, but has not been charged with any crime in the UK. Despite this, he remains incarcerated while the US has sought his extradition.

Julian Assange’s so-called crime was to publish records of war crimes leaked to him from Whistleblowers who shone a spotlight on US operations and the reality of the ‘war on terror’. Most infamously, this uncovered the ‘collateral damage’ footage of US drone operators knowingly and mercilessly killing innocent civilians, children and war journalists.

The UK Government must think very carefully before making the final decision to extradite Julian Assange to the US.

Journalists, speak up for Julian Assange ( speak-up-for-julian-assange.org ) state:

” In a democracy, journalists can reveal war crimes and cases of torture and abuse without having to go to jail. It is the very role of the press in a democracy. If governments can use espionage laws against journalists and publishers, they are deprived of their most important and traditional defense – of acting in the public interest – which does not apply under the Espionage Act.”

To allow the extradition of Julian Assange directly threatens the freedom to express and print – without fear or favour – affecting journalists in their duty to investigate and expose the truth.

The extradition would send a chilling message to journalists and others gathering evidence to investigate war crimes. It threatens initiatives that seek to see justice for civilians unwillingly caught up in conflict.

The sad irony is that the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the US States is to Protect Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press.

That’s exactly what Julian Assange was doing !!

THE TRUTH DOES MATTER

We publicly urge Priti Patel, Home Secretary, to disallow the extradition and free Julian Assange back to his wife and family.

History will thank you!

Yours Sincerely,

The Hole in the Wall Gang.

Date 12th May 2022

Statement on Julian Assange.
Monday 25th October 2021

UK judiciary throw out the US extradition case against Julian Assange 

Free Julian Assange from the US ‘Holding Pen’ which is Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison.

This is the sorry sad saga of Julian Assange and the plot to extradite him to the US to face 18 charges under the Espionage Act, facing up to 175 years imprisonment.

In Sweden from 2010 preliminary investigations began into sexual abuse claims by two women, which lasted for over 9 years and resulted in NO CHARGES and was concluded in both 2017 and finally again in 2019 with ‘No crime’ has been committed.

In November 2010 the Swedish police issue an International Arrest Warrant for Julian Assange through Interpol.

In December 2010 Julian Assange presents himself to a police station in London and is taken to an extradition hearing. He is remanded in custody. At a High Court hearing he is successful in being granted bail and is free to go.

Eventually, after several further court hearings, in 2012 The UK Supreme Court rules that Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden.

By August, Julian Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for fear of being extradited to the US via Sweden. Political pressure was building up during the 7-year period and eventually, in 2019 the Metropolitan Police entered the embassy and arrested Assange.

He was taken to Westminster Magistrates Court. He was charged for breaking bail which was linked to an international arrest warrant issued by Sweden. He was not in Sweden at the time the warrant had been issued, so had not absconded.
He now had to account for breaking the bail which in normal circumstances would result in a few days imprisonment or a fine.

A 50-week prison sentence was handed down, previously unheard of for breach of bail.

After successive court appearances, the US failed in their bid to have Julian Assange extradited.

He is currently still being held in Belmarsh maximum security prison in London awaiting an Appeal extradition hearing and its conclusion.

He was not released after the 50-week sentence, as would be expected, the judge ruled there was a risk he may abscond.

US lawyers will now need to make their Appeal case in the next High Court hearing in the Strand this Wednesday 27th October and Thursday 28th October to justify their extradition claim.
The US do not legally have to produce evidence of the crimes but do have to convince the court that there are grounds for the extradition, as set out in a 2003 extradition treaty with the UK.

What were the crimes?

Julian Assange and Wikileaks published sensitive, classified documents which exposed the true horrors of the ‘ War on Terror ‘ in the Middle East making known the war crimes perpetuated by US / UK.

In 2010 Wikileaks released:

Collateral murder video
Afghan War Logs.
Iraq War Logs

The general public were now witnesses to murder of innocent civilians and children

It has been said that the Afghanistan / Iraq wars produced the existence of Wikileaks.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Inter- American Court of Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have all called for the immediate release of Julian Assange.

The UN special rapporteur on torture and ill treatment visited Assange with a medical team and found him in need of urgent medical attention.

100 doctors have signed a petition stating that Julian Assange is suffering physical and psychological effects from the severe treatment he has been subjected to in Belmarsh.

The last court hearing denied the extradition of Julian Assange on grounds of ” substantial ”risk he would kill himself if he were extradited…

It now transpires that the US government itself was planning to assassinate Julian Assange.

How can it be that we have a man in prison in this country, having served a sentence, yet still detained without charge?

How and why should the US be able to override our judicial system and have the power to keep someone in prison, which is beyond their own jurisdiction.

Britain is supposed to be a sovereign nation independent of the United States.
Why have we so foolishly signed our sovereign rights away???

If successful, the pending extradition hearing when concluded, would undermine journalism internationally and could lead the way to eroding democracy itself.

Julian Assange will die in prison – UK or US – unless we stand up now and say NO

Let us hope that justice is applied this week and Julian Assange is freed and reunited with his family.

Maria was released at midnight last night on unconditional bail to attend court in mid December.

She was arrested under the already failed and scheduled for repeal SOCPA act for taking part in an unauthorised demonstration within a designated area.

The two men she was with were also released on bail, Simon (left) unconditionally and the other, Ian (right) on a condition he does not take part in any further protests or demonstrations within the designated area between now and his court date.

Maria, Simon and Ian at the Cenotaph

Maria being arrested – why couldn’t the police let them stay the 229 minutes as they had planned (1 minutes for each British soldier killed).

See here for an Indtymedia report

THREE PROTEST AT CENOTAPH OVER AFGHANISTAN WAR

229 minute silent protest – one minute for each British war dead

At 2pm this afternoon, three people began a protest at the Cenotaph, the monument to British war dead in Whitehall, London, about the escalating war in Afghanistan.

Holding a banner saying ‘End Afghanistan corporate war. Honour our troops. Bring them home’, the three intend to remain for 229 minutes (3 hours and 49 minutes). Each minute represents one British soldier killed since the conflict began in 2001. The protest will be carried out in silence.

This year alone, 92 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan. (1).

The protest will also honour the many thousands of Afghanistan civilian deaths as a direct result of the war (2) with indiscriminate airstrikes accounting for a large increase in deaths of Afghans since 2006 (3).

NOTES

1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/sep/17/afghanistan-casualties-dead-wounded-british-data#data

2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_of_the_War_in_Afghanistan_%282001%E2%80%93present%29#Aggregation_of_estimates

3. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/09/07/afghanistan-civilian-deaths-airstrikes

Presenting a petition to the Prime Minister earlier in the day

The statement signed by those taking part in the protest   – 229 minutes silence

More protest in Parliament Square

On 2nd October Maria won a case in Westminster Magistrates Court against a charge under the Public Order Act. She was arrested for ‘insulting behaviour’ when she climbed up the Churchill Statue in Parliament Square with placards highlighting the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka held in atrocious conditions in military camps. Maria was charged after a complaint by Nicholas Soames MP, Winston Churchill’s grandson, who happened to be driving into the Houses of Parliament at the time.

Maria represented herself and successfully argued that any offence caused to Nicholas Soames was unintentional and that references on her placards to nazi concentration camps was legitimate for campaigning purposes.

See the story of Maria on the statue from July

In the early hours of this morning, Maria occupied the Churchill statue in Parliament Square. Surrounded by barbed wire as a symbol of the concentration camps in the Tamil area of Sri Lanka, she is highlighting the plight of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Tamil civilians who are being held in atrocious conditions in military camps.

The camps break many international conventions, and there are many reports of disappearances,rapes and torture. Also, medical personnel are denied access, and international NGOs and medical organisations cannot get into the area with any aid. The Sri Lankan Government has imposed draconian restrictions on journalism, so the only news and monitoring is at grassroots level.

The action at Parliament Square is a striking image, with Churchill surrounded by barbed wire and placards about the Tamil Plight.

For more images and a report, see here.

Saturday, 20 June 2009, central London

Starts at 1pm from Hyde Park Corner – Park Lane (Nearest Stations: Hyde Park Corner / Marble Arch) Ends at Temple – Embankment

We feel very strongly about the on-going Tamil protest, now entering its 11th week of occupation at Parliament Square.

It is the most extraordinary campaign we have ever witnessed, and the protesters have behaved in a truly exemplary manner. Against all the odds, they have become a powerful movement. Of all the groups to enter the square and challenge the Government directly, these people would have been very easy to dismiss as too quiet, too nice and therefore ineffective. How wrong that would have been! All who have been involved in their campaign can only marvel at these truly amazing people.

They originally came last summer as a small unnoticeable group, who wanted to highlight the impending genocide. They wanted support from our Government and to raise awareness. They got very little if no attention.

Just before the Genocide they exploded into this huge movement of 200,000 plus! On the 11th of April 2009, they marched through central London in a peaceful manner with no arrests. There was very little mainstream media coverage. They flew their national flag without incident.

On the 6th April they filled up the whole of Parliament Square to bursting point, over-spilled, and blocked the road overnight, sealing off Westminster Bridge. This was the start of their remarkable 24hr on-going occupation of Parliament Square that was to break the mould in modern day protesting.

They chanted
“We want ceasefire!
We want ceasefire!
When do we want it…NOW!”
The volume was deafening to the ear, they were so passionate and distressed. (more…)

Police have been arresting Tamils waving their national flag in Parliament Square. Maria from Peacestrike has been testing the legality of this by standing outside New Scotland Yard and arguing it out on film when confronted by officers. Maria has now been arrested twice for holding the flag. See more on this unfolding story