‘Best thing I’ve ever done in my life’: Meet the people who demanded freedom for Assange

After almost two years sporting a bright-orange “Guantanamo Bay prisoner suit” to protest the imprisonment of Julian Assange, Matt Ó Branáin has a wardrobe problem following the WikiLeaks founder’s release.

“I gave away most of my old clothes so I have to start again,” said the New Zealander, who had also donned a sign in the style of an old police mugshot chalkboard around his neck with Assange’s UK prisoner number scrawled on it. Bristol-based Ó Branáin, 44, moved from Auckland to the UK in 2022 to support Assange. He had insisted that he wouldn’t stop wearing his “Gitmo” suit until the journalist had regained his liberty.

“I have sacrificed everything for this for five years and I have other goals I want to pursue, especially with music and creative media,” Ó Branáin, a full-time activist, told Crikey. “But I’ve learned so much and I care too deeply about peace and justice that I can’t help but be involved in future work in these areas.”

The former media design teacher is one of a group of key supporters — some of whom call themselves “Assangeavists” — who demanded Assange’s release by regularly travelling hundreds of kilometres across Britain to attend court hearings and other events in London. Most have done this at their own expense, with Ó Branáin getting funding for his activism from fellow supporters who also often gave him a place to stay.

They are part of a worldwide movement that Ohio-based Misty Winston, co-host of the Action 4 Assange activist organisation and online show, remarked on X last week comprised “a ragtag crew of nobodies who refused to back down despite punching WAY above our weight class”.

In London, solidarity vigils began in 2012 outside the Ecuadorean embassy, which Assange called home for seven years, organised by Londoner Emmy Butlin and others.

“[Assange] resisted and we resisted with him,” Butlin told Crikey.

Later, three weekly London vigils were held at Australia House, Australia’s High Commission and the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus, as well as outside the high-security Belmarsh Prison where Assange spent five years. 

Weekly protests were also held in dozens of major cities around the world, including three in Sydney outside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electoral office in Marrickville, another outside the US consulate in North Sydney, and another outside the city’s Town Hall. Then there were special rallies for Assange’s birthday and World Press Freedom Day.

Over the years in London, the protests pushed the creative boundaries, with one featuring a red double-decker bus in front of the city’s Ecuadorian embassy. WikiLeaks’ “collateral murder” video, showing the killing of two Reuters staff and other civilians by the US military in Baghdad, was light-projected onto the river Thames, and a “human chain” of protesters, which Ó Branáin helped inspire, surrounded Westminster as some of the demonstrations took place. 

Ó Branáin has worn his “Gitmo” suit everywhere he’s travelled in Europe while advocating for Assange, including airports.

“In Berlin I got a fist bump at the security check,” he said. 

Most of the time Ó Branáin carried a huge cardboard cutout of Assange.

“We took him to Stonehenge and he was blessed by the druids,” he said.

Outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London earlier this year, when Assange was due to hear whether he could appeal against extradition to the US, Ó Branáin and some other New Zealanders including Richard Hillgrove, a personal PR to Assange between 2018-20, performed the haka as part of a “haka challenge for Julian Assange”.

Jamie Andrew, 60, is a Spanish-based Brit who for the past few years has been flying to London for Assange court hearings and other campaign events, no matter the weather.

“There was always a group of about 10 or 15 people that went, certainly for the past three to four years, to the vigils,” Andrew told Crikey. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Matt Ó Branáin (centre in orange) and other Assange supporters (Image: Supplied)

Andrew was also one of the Assange supporters who would rush to the courts as early as 5 am to save seats for people like Dr Deepa Govindarajan Driver, a legal observer in the case.

Eric Levy was a member of the Assange collective and was still campaigning tirelessly for Assange right before his death at age 94 in 2022.

Another supporter, Truman, 51, from Kent, decided in 2020 to buy yellow ribbons. He would write names taken from X (then Twitter), the countries of supporters and the words “Free Assange” on them in black marker, then tie the material to the railings around the court. He funded the costs out of his own wages. 

At Assange rallies in London and other places, a sea of yellow could be seen in the background. People from about 70 countries have bought ribbons. Truman has even been sent a photo of a ribbon tied to a ship in the Antarctic.

The ribbons have also been worn at court hearings and protests by Julian Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton, their father John, and UK independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, among many others. Towards the end of the case, the ribbons became green and gold to represent Australia.

Truman, who did not want to give his last name, said that his car had been smashed after protests and his X account hacked on many occasions.

Last week, the supporters celebrated outside Australia House, chanting “We freed Julian Assange”. One of them is wearing a shirt with those very words emblazoned on it, in a video uploaded to YouTube.

Now that Assange is free and his defenders have a lot more time on their hands, they plan to channel their energy and passion into other causes. 

“If anyone wants to keep going with the Yellow Ribbon campaign to Free all Political Prisoners I will be asking for names again soon for Imran Khan, Dan Duggan, Leonard Peltier, David McBride… FREE THEM ALL”, Truman posted on X last week. 

He told Crikey that he intended “to use the yellow ribbons to try and free all political prisoners and whistleblowers after using them to free Julian Assange”.

Truman said that he would first be collecting names for ribbons for Khan, the jailed former prime minister of Pakistan. 

McBride’s name also came up during a weekly call that Assange supporters had, with some suggesting that they ramp up their action for the incarcerated whistleblower. On X, Winston encouraged followers to write to McBride. 

Some other Assange supporters have said they’ll spend the time that they’ve recouped now that the case is over supporting those in Gaza.

Matt Ó Branáin (right) and other Assange supporters (Image: supplied)

“I may focus on reforming the Espionage Act and continue to campaign for liberating Palestine from apartheid,” said Ó Branáin. 

Much of the campaigning for Assange, who has been made an honorary citizen of multiple Italian cities, has also taken place on social media. One recent hashtag that Ó Branáin takes credit for has been #LethimgoJoe.

Now that his release has been ticked off, supporters are backing Stella Assange in calling for her husband to be pardoned, with some already changing their X handles to include the words “Pardon Assange”.

“I can’t think of anything it compares to,” Winston told Crikey of the global movement to free the journalist.

“Not sure if we will ever see something like this again, but we will see this movement continue to grow. 

“The fight doesn’t stop here, and I fully expect the movement around Assange to lead the way on issues of free speech, press freedom (and) whistleblower protections.”

Where should the ‘Assangeavists’ direct their efforts next? Let us know your thoughts by writing to [email protected]. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

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