Global Protest –Feb. 24, 2020- NYC
“Don’t Extradite Assange!”
Julian Assange founder of WikiLeaks
Hosted by NYC Free Assange and Big Apple Coffee Party
Big Apple Coffee Party; Veterans for Peace; Glen Ford, Executive Director, Black Agenda Report; Joel Kupferman, Director Environmental Justice Initiative; Haiti Liberté; Manhattan Green Party; Socialist Action; Margaret Kimberley, Editor of Black Agenda Report; Courage Foundation; Freedom Socialist Party; Cuba Si; Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church; Larry Hamm, activist.
Join us in the worldwide Global Protest.
Join us in solidarity with NYC Free Assange
The potential chilling effect on journalists, and others, who expose official wrongdoing by publishing information disclosed to them by credible sources, could have a profound impact on the public’s right-to-know what their government is up to.

Video – Part 1 – as the protestors were setting up microphone and banners outside the British Consulate
Video Part 2- Margaret Kunstler, civil rights lawyer and co-editor of “In Defense of Julian Assange“.
“Margaret Ratner Kunstler … in 2015 and 2016, helped Assange plan his legal strategy and arrange media appearances … a 2017 direct message from Assange’s Twitter account to Donald Trump Jr., identified Kunstler as a person to contact at WikiLeaks … this has caused consternation in the left-wing legal community. Her long-time friends and associates find it unthinkable that an activist and stalwart in the civil rights bar might have aided the Trump campaign or administration, even inadvertently.” [Japan Times] Seems that isn’t of concern any more.
Video- Part 3 – John F. O’Donnell, actor and writer. A comedian featured on Redacted Tonight and Comedy Central. [Twitter] [Live From Outer Space]
Speakers advertised were also to include: Deborah Hrbek, Media lawyer and member of WikiLeaks legal team; Ben Norton, journalist, The Grayzone; Kim Ives, writer and editor of Haiti Liberté, John Tarleton, editor-in-chief, The Indypendent. [Common Dreams]
Flickr Slide Show
++ More on the Global Protests from other media++
Lawyers for the U.S. government are seeking Assange’s extradition to the United States, where he faces 18 charges; his specific criminal actions related to the release of hundreds of thousands of top-secret U.S. diplomatic cables and documents in 2010 and 2011.
Assange’s lawyer said he was the obvious symbol of all that Trump condemned… He brought American war crimes to the world. [LA Times]

Lawyers acting for the U.S. government said Assange was guilty of “pure criminality” and cannot hide behind the guise of journalist.
His actions — hacking into a U.S. Department of Justice computer system with U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley (Chelsea) Manning and knowingly putting people at risk of torture and death by releasing thousands of classified documents that revealed the identities of sources helping the U.S. and its allies during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; this is an ordinary criminal charge.
Journalism is not an excuse for criminality.
Manning was convicted by court-martial under the Espionage Act and spent several years behind bars, but Assange has never faced trial. [LA Times]
BTW, at this Global Protest,
WHY: “FREE ‘Chelsea’ Manning?
Obama freed him in 2017.
Manning downloaded more than 700,000 classified documents from US military servers and passed them to WikiLeaks. [The Guardian 2013]
Manning said he attempted to contact the New York Times, and spoke to a Washington Post reporter during this period, but neither newspaper was quick to respond. So, he gave the information to WikiLeaks which went on to partner with news organizations, including the Guardian ,to share the leaked information. [NPR] [The Guardian 2017]
(Manning’s crime of espionage) was the largest compromise of classified information in the history of the United States.The names of human rights activists, journalists, religious leaders and dissidents were left unredacted in some of the material which, the prosecution argues, put them and their families at serious risk of being harmed by the oppressive governments they lived under. [LA Times]

The extradition hearing (for Assange) will continue for a week and then be placed on hold until May 18, 2020, so both sides can gather more evidence before a further three-week hearing.” [LA Times]
Meanwhile, weekly Free Assange protests at Grand Central
beginning Feb 27, 2020 at 4:30 pm

Where indicated, Pictures and Videos property of Pamela Hall (VSB)
































































However, anyone who thinks the Left is suddenly ‘woke’ in solidarity, doesn’t understand the soc/commie/progs. As we found out this particular evening at Grand Army Plaza:It’s their way or no way.





































In side the Lunt-Fontanne was the new 










5:30 pm: The arrival of the Rise and Resist/Refuse Fascism Marxists began outside the 8th Avenue entrance to Madison Sq Garden.
With banners, signs, drums and chants, they assembled and did not go unnoticed by the passersby.
… Making a mighty noise to the beat of the drums.
Part 1 video Marxists:
As they raised their orange banner “crazy woman” raced for the center, eventually becoming the cover-shot of the
Watching the commies tolerate these unwanted attention seekers was fun, Penn Station eccentrics gyrating to the incessant drums; an added perk to the goings on as the cameras CLICKED away.
Part 2 video Marxists: (after chants) “Danger, Danger there’s a Fascist in the White House; Drive them out.” Sunsara Taylor continues, “Donald Trump is in the White House. He’s coming to New York City, coming here to Madison Square Garden, and we are here to say, “Hell, No.” We are here to say,” NO, NO,” to White Supremacy; to Fascism; to the nightmare of the Trump/Pence regime. We are not going to be provoked. Humanity first and we are not going to be provoked by Fascists.”
Had to walk under Penn Station, the side streets were closed, but once above ground I found the Patriots holding a robust counter-protest to the few Marxists on this side.
Part 1 video Patriots (Lots of chants) “Build the Wall. Build the Wall. God Bless, America. Let’s Vote Trump”
Now, on the 7th avenue side, I found the Patriots honoring this Day of Remembrance with banners and posters for those victims murdered by ILLEGALS. This excerpted video shows how important
With both sides facing off in front of Madison Sq Garden, and the Trumpers holding strong, I headed back to 8th avenue for the last time (not knowing there was no protest on that side now).
Doing the underground crossover, I encountered Sunsara Taylor being turned away from the 8th ave exit. (Yes, the NYPD had closed it off to everyone) Apparently the President was arriving on the 8th ave. side of MSG. Sunsara noticed my NYPD press-pass so she asked me, “Did I know where her protest was; had I seen them?” Yep, they were on the 7th ave. side.
She then asked who I wrote for. “Independent”, said I; confessing I wasn’t ‘on her team”. Sunsara couldn’t get away from me fast enough, knowing I wasn’t a commie. She looked like I had tased her. (fun- again)
Some media reportage that came out the next day: