Assange supporters continue embassy vigil in London

Although Assange has now been inside the embassy for over 200 days and press frenzy has largely abated, a small groups of supporters continue a daily vigil opposite; there were eight when I arrived in mid-afternoon and half a dozen came as I was leaving. One of those I talked to told me that he came several times a week when he could fit it in with his work. There was a large Australian flag with the message 'Free Assange' and the same text with comments such as 'Don't Shoot the Messenger' on posters that they held. To one side was a large banner from 'Collateral Murder', a web page showing videos about the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad -- including two Reuters news staff. Wikileaks released a classified militiary video of this in 2010, and Private Bradley Manning is accused of making it available to them.

At the vigil I was handed a flyer from 'Women Against Rape' reproducing a Guardian article from 23 August 2012 in which they make state that 'The judicial process has been corrupted' and that the pressure to extradite Assange is a part of a political clampdown against Wikileaks. The write: 'Once again women's fury and frustration at the prevalence of rape and other violence is being used by politicians to advance their own purposes... this time to facilitate Assange's extradition or even rendition to the US'.