Hundreds of people gathered in Paris and several cities in France on Tuesday with cries of
“Free
Julian Assange
”
, in support of the Australian founder of Wikileaks who is trying to avoid his extradition to the United States for the publication of confidential documents .
Several hundred demonstrators gathered at Place de la République, in Paris, at the call of the Human Rights League (LDH) and the National Union of Journalists (SNJ), in the presence of activists and deputies from political parties left, noted an AFP journalist.
“For five years, the British have put him in prison without any legal incrimination (...). We must demand that our governments take up the cause of press freedom
,” declared Dominique Pradalié, president of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
17 cities in France
A similar gathering was planned in 17 cities in France.
In Bordeaux (southwest), some 300 people formed a human chain around the reflecting pool, in front of the Place de la Bourse, chanting
“Free Assange”
.
An orange jumpsuit with Assange's face, surrounded by a white frame representing his prison cell, was placed on the floor.
There were also around sixty in Toulouse (south-west).
“There is an emergency, France must give asylum to Julian Assange
,” said Arnaud Le Gall, LFI-Nupes MP, in Paris.
“Granting asylum to Julian Assange is an absolute necessity, and the president can decide on it today
. ”
British justice examines Tuesday and Wednesday the refusal to authorize Julian Assange to appeal his extradition to the United States, accepted in June 2022 by the British government.
He faces up to 175 years in prison.
He is being prosecuted for having published since 2010 more than 700,000 confidential documents on American military and diplomatic activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.