I attended Julian Assange's christmas speech on Thursday which marked 6 months since he entered the Ecuadorian embassy. I went because I believe in Wikileaks and I believe Assange is being pursued unjustly and unlawfully. I went alone because it's Christmas party season and my few friends who care about this case were either attending or hung over from Christmas parties.
I couldn't see how many people were there, 100? maybe 200 including police and media, a chilling reminder of how few people in London care about this case. The people who were there were in a jovial mood, holding candles, passing around mulled wine, singing Christmas carols and a nice rendition of I Shall Be Released (here's another good version). There was a strong police presence but from what I saw they were respectful, goons following orders, but respectful.
The awaiting crowd gave out a large cheer as Assange emerged from behind a curtain and onto the balcony. 1 hand raised aloft, a symbol of his defiance, absorbing the atmosphere he started:
"Good evening London,
what a sight for sore eyes,
people ask 'what gives me hope?'
Well the answer is right here".
At this point Julian is distracted by a knob with a megaphone who turned out to be from Channel 4 trying to get an interview with Assange, journalism Jackass style. I fully recognise the irony of Assange supporters, the protectors of free speech, yelling "shut up" to a journalist, sometimes you just have to laugh at life. Inigo Gilmore later explains that Channel 4 have been trying to get a 1 on 1 interview with Assange for 6 months to no avail and goes on to say "he seems to be avoiding the media even though he sees himself as a torch bearer for freedom of speech". Well that is simply not true, the real reason Assange has refused an interview is probably because of Channel 4's deliberate distortion of the facts surrounding this case. Plus he has been busy.
The highlight of the speech was Assange's announcement that Wikileaks will be releasing 1 million documents in 2013 which will "affect every country in the world", vague and threatening language which will send chills through the bones of anyone in government. They will be thinking, "What have they got their hands on now? Which one of our vicious lies, which one of my dirty little secrets are they about to expose?"
The final words were a touching plea to everybody on Earth to stay educated and hold on to their humanity.
"For once we, the people, stop speaking out and stop dissenting, once we are distracted or pacified, once we turn away from each other, we are no longer free. For true democracy is the sum – is the sum – of our resistance.
If you don’t speak up – if you give up what is uniquely yours as a human being: if you surrender your consciousness, your independence, your sense of what is right and what is wrong, in other words – perhaps without knowing it, you become passive and controlled, unable to defend yourselves and those you love.
People often ask, “What can I do?”
The answer is not so difficult.
Learn how the world works. Challenge the statements and intentions of those who seek to control us behind a façade of democracy and monarchy.
Unite in common purpose and common principle to design, build, document, finance and defend.
Learn. Challenge. Act.
Now."
