John McDonnell visits Julian Assange and slams his ‘political persecution’

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Shadow chancellor John McDonnell visited Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison on Thursday.

McDonnell said of Assange’s case:

I think this is one of the most important and significant political trials of this generation, in fact longer. …

The way in which a person is being persecuted for political reasons, for simply exposing the truth for what went on in relation to recent wars.

And he stressed:

We don’t believe that extradition should be used for political purposes. And all the evidence… demonstrates that this is a political trial, and we’re hoping the courts judge that way.

 

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  • Show Comments
    1. So whilst The Canary criticises Trump for pardoning convicted criminals, they are themselves campaigning on behalf of a convicted criminal. I guess Assange has the right opinions and viewpoints….

    2. Assanges’ “crime” was victimless. It was a breach of bail conditions in relation to allegations that were eventually dropped. The people pardoned by Trump however conned money out of thousands of investors and tax payers. See the difference?

    3. The Canary is Reporting about Julian Assange, not “campaigning”, the difference is monumental, but then I suppose Dianesrightshoe believes that accusations = guilt, that any critisism of Israel = Anti-Semitism, and that any personal criticism or non-governmental viewpoint is a henious crime.

      England is the nation that produced The Magna Carta, and whilst this was predominantly for the benefit of Lords and Barons of the Land, it also serves as the bedrock of presumption of innocence, proof of crimes, trial by jury (not trial by ‘mob’ as some prefer in their ‘justice’), and whilst it was not really ‘for The People’, so many believed it to be so, that in fact our laws were heavily influenced and guided by these facts.

      Julian Assange is not a criminal (he has already served more time for his bail-jumping than the Law allows), he is an Australian Citizen who has been illegally detained and tortured for the ‘crime’ of exposing the deliberate and gleeful murder of innocents by US Military/Political interests, and for exposing the conspiracies and lies of many in power, not just the USA, all of which are well within Journalists’ and The Public’s interest.

      In addition, the rape case in Sweden has been utterly proven to be a fake, instigated and insisted upon by the USA. Even the ‘victims’ claimed there was no rape, but that The Police proceeded under US pressure to falsely pin these crimes on Julian Assange (for political reasons).

      The detention and torture of Julian Assange are Illegal acts under our own Laws, and our judiciary is bending over backwards to accommodate North American dictates which violate our Laws, International Laws, International Human Rights, and Our own human rights. In fact, a huge amount of public money has been squandered deliberately in order to enforce and cover-up the illegality being perpetrated against Julian Assange, by the USA and its allies.

      The Canary is not ‘campaigning’, it is reporting, and the fact that you can’t distinguish the two, proves your ignorance of not just Journalism, but of Law in General. Mob rule, trial by Media, guilty because it suits you, are all things not supported by our Laws, and not supported by decent law-abiding citizens.

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