12/02/2023

Assange Activists Prevented from Travelling Over 'Truth bomb'

Aotearoa 4 Assange

Two activists travelling to a Night Carnival in London for jailed journalist Julian Assange were prevented from travelling by Police at Berlin Airport over a suspected bomb that was in fact an illuminated cardboard sign that read 'TRUTH'.

One of the campaigners, Matt Ó Branáin, has travelled all the way from New Zealand to raise awareness. He said it was ‘tragic that we are stopped from raising awareness about the criminalisation of revealing war crimes, over a cardboard sign mistaken for a bomb.' He said the lack of awareness could be the reason for the Police's actions.

'The Police officers were only trying to do their job, but it is an illustration of a lack of awareness about the case.. This an unprecedented attack on our Right to Know and without this we cannot protect any of our Rights. It is not us who are a threat, it is those criminlaising revealing war crimes.'

The activists explained to the Police it was a cardboard sign with LED lights for the Night Carnival but the Police remained suspicious. They held the campaigners for close to an hour and they missed their flight. Ó Branáin also had planned other awareness raising actions in London, Liverpool and Manchester, but is now unable to afford it. 'You don't get rich campaigning for Human Rights.'

‘This is a failure of Democratic States to abide by International Law, but it is also a failure of the media to inform the public. Every major Human Rights group has sounded the alarm on the importance of this case. We must work together to raise awareness and call on the US and UK to drop this.'

The Assange Night Carnival was attended by 2,000 people yesterday, wearing costumes including judges, skeletons and prisoners. Pressure on the US and UK to bring an end to this is high. Five major International Newspapers wrote an open letter to Joe Biden in December asking him to drop the charges because they threaten global press freedom.