Thread by @deepa_driver

1/ Like many, I am very angry and sad about the outcome of the US appeal.
Having attended the court hearings, I know how soul-destroying these are.
So this thread seeks to bring #Assange supporters some small slivers of hope & strength

1/

First I want to say how happy I am for Julian that he has his family & his kids to give him love & hope. Stella deals with things with poise & grace, every day, despite the hardship & sorrow their family bear.
(I love this photo. We work to make sure Julian’s in one soon)
2/

Julian’s lawyers - from the late Michael Ratner to Gareth Peirce, Edward Fitzgerald, Mark Summers & all their colleagues in the UK & elsewhere behind the scenes & in front of cameras, are a significant reason why Julian isn’t already on the US rendition flight.
3/

It must be very hard to put forward excellent arguments, do mountains of work, take two steps forward & then get trumped by game-playing, jobsworth charlatans who manipulate the system to undermine the law. Their courage, intelligence & strength offer hope for #RuleOfLaw

4/

I take huge hope from the grassroots activists at Piccadilly, outside Belmarsh, outside Merrick Garland’s place, outside embassies & in 🇺🇸,🇫🇷, 🇦🇺, 🇩🇪, 🇮🇹,🇦🇹, 🇸🇪, 🇳🇴 & in many parts of the world. They protest in 🌧 & ❄️ every week for #humanrights & a man who doesn’t know them
5/

I take hope from the whistleblowers, hacktivists, journalists, creatives, & experts who have stayed steadfast & true to Wikileaks’ ideals & kept it going.
I take hope from those who have persistently used their name & profile, to support Julian, despite personal costs
6/

I take hope from the those using artistic, legal, musical, literary, journalistic, political + a range of professional skills to get more people to care not just about the case but also the underlying issues
7/

If you’re a supporter, you are making history alongside Julian. When the war criminals try to shut Julian & us down, remember they have very little to show for their miserable, rancid, evil existence.
You are making your life count & are on the right side of history
8/

And while Julian has all of us, there are many in the world who will suffer alone, whose lives will be destroyed & whose stories won’t be told, if it weren’t for whistleblowers & the brilliant folk at Wikileaks. We do this for them.
That’s why Julian’s #CourageIsContagious
9/

Every moment that they torment Julian & us through this farce of an extradition process, they expose themselves more & they awaken us.
I feel I am only getting stronger in my commitment to justice for the oppressed. I hope you are too.
Courage really is contagious
10/