Hundreds of protesters gather to support Julian Assange at extradition hearing
Fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood was one of a large group of protesters demonstrating outside the extradition hearing of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday.
Wearing a headband reading “angel”, the fashion designer told reporters: “I am Vivienne. I’m the angel of democracy. Nobody knows more about democracies than Julian Assange.”
Police formed a barrier around the demonstration as supporters chanted “free, free Julian Assange”.
Assange, 48, entered the dock at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday morning. US prosecutors want the WikiLeaks founder to face espionage charges that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Read more: Julian Assange: truth teller or criminal?
Wearing a grey suit and grey sweater with a white shirt, Assange spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, then nodded towards the press benches before taking his seat.
Supporters in a full public gallery include his father John Shipton, who last week said his son’s extradition would be like a death sentence.
Outside the court, Dame Westwood said: “It is not a crime to publish American war crimes. It’s in the public interest, it is democracy, that he is allowed to do this.
“I feel really worried and frightened actually, really frightened.”
She told the crowd: “I feel that I live in this surreal world that is so evil and orchestrated to collapse, and nobody really gets it.
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“We’ve got no chance unless we break this wall of government corruption global, and I think Julian’s a Trojan horse and if we can get him free, then we’ve got this rock of democracy.”
James Lewis QC opened the case against Assange on behalf of the US government.
After a week of opening arguments, the extradition case is scheduled to be adjourned until May, when the two sides will lay out their evidence. The judge is not expected to rule until several months after that.
Many of the demonstrators wore costumes as part of their protest, including several people dressed as judges.
One man dressed as Jesus, holding a large yellow cross.
Giving his name as “Jesus Gilet-Jaune”, he said he had been motivated by his heart to attend the protest “against injustice”.
He said: “This man is a man who is doing his job as a journalist, who can’t say the truth, but he said the truth.”
Nine tents and gazebos have been set up outside the perimeter of the courts, including an impromptu kitchen. Some activists said they intended to stay outside the court until the end of the initial week of hearings on Friday.
Joe Brack, 58, will camp outside the court for two nights.
When asked why he was demonstrating, he said: “What the big question is, are we believers in freedom of speech, human rights and in a respect for international law? And currently the UK justice system has decided not so much.
“They make an example of him at the behest of our American federal prosecutors.”
The protesters include approximately a dozen “yellow vest” protesters who travelled from Paris overnight.
Jean-Baptiste Voltuan, 64, told the Press Association: “I am a yellow vest here to support because [Assange] did the best for all the world, for his courage. There are dozens of us. We took a night bus from Paris.”
A number of groups including the Stop the War coalition were also present.
Another demonstrator, Dawn Manners, 55, said: “The Americans dropped bombs on people, Julian Assange exposed it and he should be the only one in the dock for that.
“I’m grateful he reported it, journalism isn’t a crime, it’s b******s.”
Assange, 48, is wanted on 18 charges over the publication of US cables a decade ago. He is accused of working with former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents.
US authorities say WikiLeaks’ activities put American lives in danger. Assange argues that he was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection, and says the leaked documents exposed US military wrongdoing.
