Julian Assange’s celebrity supporters stake reputations on circumstance

Raggle-taggle of ‘household names’ offered huge sums towards WikiLeaks founder’s failed bail plea


The by now curious situation of Julian Assange took another bizarre twist yesterday when the courtroom learned that a raggle-taggle of “household names” have been ready to stake their reputation in his case, supplying sureties towards the courtroom with a total worth of £180,000.

In spite of claiming not to know Assange, the film-maker Ken Loach as well as the socialite and charity fundraiser Jemima Khan stood just before Westminster magistrates and provided massive  sums in direction of Assange’s bail, though bail was  later refused.

Offering £20,000, Loach stated he did not know Assange aside from by status, but added: “I assume the operate he has performed has been a public service. I assume we are entitled to understand the dealings of those that govern us.”

Khan supplied an additional £20,000, “or more if will need be”.

In a statement later, she mentioned: “I make no judgment of Julian Assange as an individual as I have by no means met him. I’m supplying my assist to him as I think within the universal correct to freedom of information and our right to be informed the truth.”

On her Twitter feed final month, Khan asked if Assange was “the new Jason Bourne”, a reference to your fictional action hero designed by the thriller writer Robert Ludlum. The publish has given that been deleted.

The journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, who also offered £20,000, explained he knew Assange as a journalist and personal buddy and had a “very substantial regard for him”.

The biggest donation of £80,000 was provided by an unknown American relation who didn’t need to be named due to the fact of worry for his safety.

Patricia David, a professor, as well as the leading lawyer Geoffrey Sheen every single offered up £20,000 surety on grounds that they’d invested their lives fighting for human rights.

Exterior courtroom Pilger stated: “This business in Sweden is a travesty; an harmless man has a right to be free.

“Having his freedom taken absent is outrageous. Sweden really should be ashamed. This isn’t justice - this can be outrageous.”

He additional: “Behind this he has manufactured a great deal of enemies, the principal a single becoming the warmonger, the us.”

Howard Riddle, the decide at the court in Horseferry Road, London, commended four of your sureties for his or her willingness to assist “out of concern for human rights” and without personal information of Assange.