WikiLeaks supporters mobilize to prevent Ecuador from expelling Assange from UK embassy

Supporters of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange are making their voices heard, despite the institutions united to silence them, after reports that the WikiLeaks founder will be expelled from the Ecuadorean embassy in “hours to days.”

A live feed of the front of the Ecuadorean embassy in London shows several tents pitched around the entrance as supporters stand vigil for the besieged journalist, who has become little more than a prisoner in the embassy in which he sought political asylum seven years ago. “NO EXPULSION” is spelled out in LED lights on the sidewalk in front of the embassy, while numerous cameras are positioned across the street.

WikiLeaks tipped the public off to Assange’s pending expulsion – within “hours to days,” according to a high-level Ecuadorean source – on Thursday, confirming that the Ecuadorean government would use the release of the INA Papers, which implicate President Lenin Moreno and his family in extensive corruption, as a pretext for revoking his asylum.

While WikiLeaks did not publish the documents, Moreno has blamed the outlet – and Assange – for his flagging support at home, complaining to anyone who will listen that the journalist has “violated” his asylum agreement.

A second Ecuadorean government source has since confirmed the original report. Assange was granted Ecuadorean citizenship in January 2018 and, while it is assumed that after being arrested by UK authorities –for jumping bail on charges which have since been withdrawn– he would be extradited to the US, where an indictment with his name on it was accidentally exposed last year, the Ecuadorean constitution would seem to stand in the way, as one astute commenter pointed out.

Prominent supporters flocked to Twitter to post their support and urge Londoners to stand watch over the embassy.

While others called US, UK and Australian authorities out on their hypocrisy.

WikiLeaks has posted white papers to each involved government and debunked the linking of Moreno’s domestic misfortunes to any action by Assange, pointing out that Fidel Narvaez – the former Ecuadorean consul to London – has said Moreno is merely seeking “a false pretext” to end the journalist’s asylum and “yield to US pressure.”

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