by Elizabeth Vos, Disobedient Media:

In the last few weeks, news reports have surfaced indicating the imminent danger that Ecuador may illegally rescind Julian Assange’s asylum. WikiLeaks supporters across the globe have responded by raising their voices even louder on behalf of the politically imprisoned journalist, with a diverse range of online and physical demonstrations of solidarity unfolding over the last week.

At the embassy, multiple supporters have been standing in a near-constant vigil in case of any sudden developments on the scene, with specific, self-imposed orders to remain non-violent in their approach. Disobedient Media previously reported on the heroic efforts of activists who have participated in physical vigils at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for the entire span of Assange’s confinement there.

Over the weekend, an emergency Unity4J live-streamed event was held to address the latest developments, and to announce the launch of a public Discord server dedicated to mass public collaboration in support of Julian Assange. An overview of the event created by one such supportive member of the public is provided below.

Attendees and hosts of the emergency event included Kim Dotcom, Assange legal representative in Australia Greg Barns, veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern, filmmaker Vivian Kubrick, activist and current President of the Internet Party of New Zealand Suzie Dawson, journalist and veteran whistleblower Lisa Ling, former Australian Senator with the Greens Scott Ludlum, Sky News Australia’s Ross Cameron, Australian filmmaker Cathy Vogan, Popular Resistance’s Kevin Zeese, human rights activist and journalist Diani Barreto, WikiLeaks contributor Simon Floth, non-violent human rights activist Ciaron O’Reilly, and veteran, whistleblower, and activist Cian Westmoreland as well as this writer.

The round-table style discussion was only possible thanks to the support of the technical support and social media teams dedicated to supporting Unity4J.

During the conversational live-stream, Kim Dotcom said: “If the UK government arrests [Julian Assange], it will start a global movement that will begin here today… to ensure organizations like WikiLeaks can [continue to] provide the truth to us.” Meanwhile, Ray McGovern emphasized the importance of ‘building arks, not predicting rain,’ a sentiment that echoes the refrain of Christine Assange: “We need WikiLeaks warriors, not worriers.”

Image via: Unity4J

Scott Ludlum told the panel: “One of the reasons Julian is in the jam that he’s in, is that he is an uncompromising bastard. Compromising the integrity of the work [is not something he would do], because if he [was inclined to do so], he would have cut some kind of deal already.” Ludlum also reflected that since 2010, we have witnessed what he called: “One of the most effective campaigns of destroying an organization or any civil society organization that has ever been mounted.”

During the Unity4J event, activist Diani Barreto said: “It’s up to us to ensure that we have access to this public repository of knowledge.” Like other attendees, Barreto raised the importance of organizing on-the-ground protests and actions. Australian Filmmaker Cathy Vogan echoed this, saying: “People need to get down there [to the embassy] now.”

Ross Cameron addressed issues of data security and breaches of citizen privacy by large agencies who he said are: “Simply incapable of keeping secure the amount of data that is passing in and out of their hands.”

Suzie Dawson described the creation of the Unity4J Discord server as a method of promoting direct, nonviolent action on the part of the public to engage with and fight against the persecution of WikiLeaks’ Editor-In-Chief. Again, the Discord server is open to public participation. Since its launch, the Unity4J Discord server has seen the involvement of over 2,000 volunteers. With recent news footage depicting the removal of furniture from the Ecuadorian embassy, that help cannot come soon enough.

Image via @greekemmy on Twitter

Volunteers within the server have been organized into teams covering everything from social media to lawyers who are actively engaged in research on the case, to graphic designers who are in the process of creating apparel. Proceeds from the sale of the items will go directly to the WikiLeaks shop. Dawson explained that events on the server constituted hundreds of constructive and ongoing actions taking place simultaneously.

The live-stream and discord server are not the only venues of solidarity that have blossomed in the wake of the heightened danger to Assange’s asylum. It should be noted that while the discord channel is an incredibly useful tool for supporters who have felt stuck in the inertia of wanting to help but not knowing how to do so, it is not a prerequisite in order to show support and solidarity with Assange. Absolutely everyone should take it upon themselves to support in whatever way they feel called to do so, whether that be to join efforts in groups or to operate independently, every act counts.

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