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July 11, 2023

"Freedom of the Press Has Gone Up in Smoke": Protesters Demand U.S. Drop Charges Against Assange
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In Washington, D.C., protesters are demanding the U.S. government drop
its espionage charges against Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange and for
his immediate release from a British prison as he faces extradition from
the U.K. to the U.S. Ben Cohen, co-founder of the ice cream company Ben
& Jerry's, and Jodie Evans, co-founder of the antiwar group Code Pink,
were arrested in the peaceful action last Thursday. Ben Cohen spoke to
the crowd as he set fire to a copy of the Bill of Rights, saying,
"Freedom of the press has gone up in smoke."

Ben Cohen: "If the U.S. is allowed to continue this prosecution, the
precedent that it sets is that the U.S. can arrest any journalist, of
any nationality, in any country around the world, if they print
something that the U.S. doesn't like."



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