Rallies are planned at dozens of cities all over the world in support of Bradley Manning - the US army intelligence analyst who leaked intelligence to Wikileaks - whose trial begins on Monday.
22:00 GMT: The Fort Meade event for Bradley Manning has
come to an end, after a day of rallying in major cities around
the world.
19:20 GMT: Daniel Ellsberg, a former Vietnam whistle blower who leaked Pentagon papers to the press, is supporting Manning and the protests. Earlier this month he said in statement "history is on the side of those who seek to reveal the truth, not on the side of those who seek to conceal it."
19:15 GMT: Manning supporters are hanging Nobel Peace prizes on the fence next to the Meade demonstrations.
#FreeBrad RT @kgosztola: Bradley Manning organizer having supporters hang Nobel Peace prizes on fence at Meade twitter.com/kgosztola/stat…"l
— m_x (@soit_goes) June 1, 2013
19:05 GMT: Manning has decided not to have his case heard
by a jury. This has led to speculation that his lawyers believe a
military jury would not be sympathetic to someone many regard as
a traitor. PJ Crowley a State Department spokesman who was forced
to resign following the military's alleged harsh treatment of
Manning while in custody said "A private first class does not
get to decide whether a conversation between a high-level US
official and the King of a Gulf nation should be made
public."
19:00 GMT: Two of America's best known champions of the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, Floyd Abrams and Yochai Benkler, wrote that if this assertion was to be accepted then no media outlet could safely publish leaked material.
18:58 GMT: Protesters at Forte Meade are shouting 'We are
all Bradley Manning'!
18:45 GMT: Over 3000 protesters are now at Forte Meade
with Code Pink putting up a strong showing.
#BradleyManning#FreeBrad#Manning Code Pink is showing it's colors and umbrellas. Over 3000 are at Ft Meade now. twitter.com/DCMediaGroup/s…
— DCMediaGroup (@DCMediaGroup) June 1, 2013
1830 GMT: The prosecution in the Manning Case is arguing
that because he leaked material to Wikileaks, which he would have
known could be read by Al-Qaeda, he was in effect communicating
with the enemy.
18:15 GMT: Manning has denied the more serious charges under the Espionage Act for which he would be imprisoned for life. The prosecution has said it will not pursue the death penalty.
18:00 GMT: Manning has pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 charges
in relation to information he passed on to Wikileaks and faces up
to 20 years in prison.
17:50 GMT: Anonymous, the group of hacktivists, has announced a twitterstorm for Manning to get higher trends for the cause. The hashtag #FreeBrad is proposed.
17:30 GMT: Crowd funded stenographers who were set to create daily trial transcripts of the trial have been denied press passes to the court martial. The Freedom of the Press Foundation has hired one citing the military's limits on access to the proceedings viewed as one of the most important trials in 40 years.
Crowd-funded Stenographers Denied Press Passes to the Bradley #Manning Court Martial @ @freedomofpresst.co/0WyPE.
— Mark IronManRecords (@IronManRecords) June 1, 2013
17:25 GMT: The number of protesters grows at Fort Meade where the trial is beginning Monday.
17:22 GMT: Protests get underway in Paris.
#RT Protest #OpManning Anons Supporting Bradley Manning ! Paris - France twitter.com/Stmanfr/status… via @stmanfr
—-= AnonSweden =- (@AnonswedenInfo) June 1, 2013
17:00 GMT: Protesters gather in Maryland, USA.
#BradleyManning► Bus unloading, crowds gathering, sun bright and hot. Four yrs in prison and no court martial. twitter.com/DavidKY2R/stat…
— David Eric Hancock (@DavidKY2R) June 1, 2013
16:40 GMT: Twitter users brand Manning's trial a 'show trial'.
#FF @feardept: Bradley #Manning didn't order anyone be tortured, so we had no choice but to lock him away for 1101 days, until his showtrial
— Helen(@HelenInCarp) June 1, 2013
16:35 GMT: British activists Peter Tatchell and Vivienne Westwood were out at a demonstration in London today in support of Bradley Manning. While UK comedian Russell Brand has urged people to learn about and support Bradley Manning.
We should learn about Bradley Manning and support him. mmflint.me/12TCW5H
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) May 31, 2013
Very proud to speak at today’s Bradley #Manning demo, with Vivienne Westwood & others.#ThankBradley the hero! @SaveBradley@FollowWestwood
— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) June 1, 2013
16:30 GMT: The Fort Meade military base in Baltimore where
the trial will take place is preparing for hundreds of people as
part of the Bradley Manning demonstration. Many roads in the area
will be closed or restricted.