The 24 hour marathon for Julian Assange on October 15 is approaching, and as you can see from the map on the site, initiatives are multiplying. Activists and groups of all kinds are working to organize different events according to their tastes and abilities.

If you are interested in organizing a local event, large or small, write to us by September 30th at 24hassange@proton.me 

We report below an original initiative that will take place in the ‘most eccentric pub’ in Manchester, UK, and could perhaps serve as inspiration for other similar events.

In conjunction with Body Warmth: Dance to Stay Warm we are running our event “Save Julian Assange: Join The Wikileaks Revolution” at the Old Abbey Taphouse, Guildhall Close, Hulme on Saturday 15th October. Our event will kick off at 15:00 until 19:00, followed by Body Warmth from 20:00 – 03:00 AM. Our event is free, however there is a £5 charge for the evening event to raise funds to cover the venue’s future rising fuel costs.

Our group “The People’s Collective” supports world democracy and freedom of expression, and our particular focus at the moment are the recent troubling developments in the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Julian is currently being detained in harrowing conditions in solitary confinement at the notorious Belmarsh Prison in London. Priti Patel recently signed his extradition papers which would see him face trial in the USA and he faces 175 years imprisonment there.

We will be hosting our event at the Old Abbey Taphouse in Hulme. Winners of the 2022 “Community Pub of the Year” awarded by the “Campaign for Real Ale”, the Tap House has also been cited as “Manchester’s most eccentric pub” by the Manchester Evening News in 2022. The venue also has studio space upstairs where DJs, musicians and other creatives can record sessions and radio shows for STEAM Radio, which is part of their social enterprise STEAM MCR. STEAM’s goal is to provide a creative space for those living in the area, particularly underrepresented groups.

Original art work, political banner and photographs of grassroots political activists and supporters of this cause from our previous music events and past Julian Assange demonstration will be displayed. Our revolutionary live event will feature an array of live performances including acoustic sets from Damien Luke McNeilly and The Valleys, spoken word poetry recitals from Leon the Pig Farmer, Steve Jaffa Brown and other poets, as well as a contemporary dance performance from 3pm – 7pm. There will also be a performance with the political activist punk scar band “Galaventis”. A host of DJ’s will also be supporting our theme of human rights, freedom of speech, expression and world democracy.

Contact:

Lima Al-iskalachi: limazakoor@gmail.com