E99: Julian Assange IS FREE - What this means for the rest of us

Julian Assange is free! Join us for this critical livestream to celebrate the release of Wikileaks founder and DiEM25 founding member, Julian Assange.
His freedom marks a significant triumph for press freedom and our collective mission. We'll explore the far-reaching implications of his release, the relentless pursuit of justice, and the imperative to continue our fight for the liberation of all political prisoners worldwide.
Tune in to learn how we can sustain the momentum for global justice.
Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Srećko Horvat, Karin De Rigo and Federico Dolce, investigate.
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#JulianAssange #Wikileaks #pressfreedom

[@agnikollias6678]

Freedom of speech!!!! No more colonialism !!!! No more Zonizm !!!! No more imperialistic games !!!! Free Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[@samdegoeij6576]

Free Palestine, liberation for everybody! Proud member of DiEM25!!❤❤❤❤

[@abdullahiahmed119]

Jullian Assange, was not arrested, he was kidnapped and tortured unlawfully. Glad to hear,he is freed.

[@FullAttach]

No, he ran.

[@waterkingdavid]

​@@FullAttachI assume you're sending your message from inside a prison? What a hero!

[@Rabia_Burak]

​@@FullAttach says the one who's a criminal himself

[@lagringa7518]

@@FullAttach Oh really, so you wanted a dead martyr?..... is that what YOU would have volunteered for?

[@SuperLuckao]

Well yeah, thy stole him like he stole documents. Its a logical consequence. What makes journalists think thy r above the law? I can't understand that thinking.

[@simonbilling2796]

Guilty of telling the truth... but free.... ❤❤

[@FrancesSanchez-gw7lt]

ACCORDING THE US EMPIRE OF4. 5.% BORN LESS THAN 300AND HAS BEEN TERRORISNG MANKIND SINCE 1948 NON STOP

Yes!!! A WIN FOR FREEDOM AND ACTIVISM! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Thank you ❣

[@dovepiranha6543]

Exactly,

[@mariettestabel275]

❤ Thank You Yanis! Great work. Thanks to DIEM25 ✌.

[@contra-stupidity]

Same thing happened with Mandela. All those who had him on terror lists and fought the ANC with all means say today that they were against apartheid. Long live Julian. Journalism died when many turned their back on Julian. People's journalism is what is keeping us informed today. Thank you

[@startfromwithin8107]

Waw.. .our pseudo democratic Countries can't kidd us anymore. What a dirty game😢. Thanks DIEM COMMRADES, YOU MAKE ME BELIEVE IN humanity❤. Julian, you stood on the right side. Thanks for paying an ultimate prize for the truth, real HEROE.

[@Mary_QQQ]

💯 % bullseye 🎯 ♥️ from Australia 🇦🇺 🇬🇷 Julian Assange is free Hallelujah! 🙏 🔔 📯✨️🕊

[@breft3416]

Yanis, believe it or not, you give me some hope for the USA and the world. Your voice and Diem 25 voices are crucial if mankind will ever make progress.

[@johnherbert6497]

The fight for truth must continue!

[@agnikollias6678]

Exactly 💯

[@d.b.4093]

Dass er für sich für seine Freiheit schuldig bekennen muss dämpft meine Euphorie etwas, aber ich kann ihn gut verstehen. Ich freue mich für Julian Assange und seine Familie.

[@startfromwithin8107]

Eric hat recht...so tief können die sinken

[@faniarethas2716]

He only admitted to one count from the 35 (I think)!

[@eyedownload]

Especially , when it truth, he should have been celebrated all this time for exposing US war crimes! Ludicrous that he was punished for a heroic deed that benefits the public but that's the government we have and our cue to overhaul it.

[@prof.mohamedkhaliltimamy7074]

Initially, I thought the news were a prank by someone, but when I saw Yanis Varoufakis speak, I realized I was watching and listening to something real. As a university teacher, nothing is more valuable than freedom of expression. Out of free thought emerges the power to induce the cross fertlization of ideas. The quest for truth is a spiritual experience.

[@ninja12lawbreaker]

Julian needs to get a team of lawyers to open up this travesty of justice. Sue for millions in compensation

[@ferahsudenazulusoy4553]

Resistance always wins🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@user-ij6mz7px6u]

I'm very GLAD! I want say thanks for Julian's Wife for her loving and supporting attitude! Her LOVE saved Julian's LIFE!

[@jamesfox2857]

I JUST WATCHED HIM WALK OUT A """ FREE MAN """ !!!!

[@francegiacomelli7454]

This methafore with Galileo is simply briliant!

[@Luzie257]

Danke für die sehr klaren, ehrlichen Worte, das Erinnern, die Fakten, Yanis Varoufakis! ❤🖤✊

[@BeatriceGomez-wk9nq]

The evil need to be stopped

[@gangajal9292]

A happy day for all Julian's supporters around the world but especially for Julian himself and his family.....conditions have been set but at least he can be with his family at last.Big hugs and many thanks for exposing the truth from Italy ❤️🙏

[@margueritehann-syme5137]

I remain deeply disturbed why our consecutive Australian governments never once fought for Assange. Will we ever hear from a politician the truth of this? Shed tears in hearing of Julian's release. Wonderful news. Though why it happened is simply US political convenience and the dirty deals between US UK and Australia.

[@thennicke]

Kevin Rudd genuinely cared about Julian Assange, but Julia Gillard had CIA connections. As for the LNP, well, we wouldn't expect them to care about him.

[@Steff_kjns]

FREE DAVID MCBRIDE

[@armanmkhitaryan27]

Great achievement, everyone! He wouldn't have been released without our commitment. The real people who should be held accountable for having tortured him for years and those responsible for the crimes WikiLeaks has been revealing are of course going to get away with all it, but seeing Julian out of Belmarsh and on his way home is a great relief. As for the fight for freedom of speech - there are rarely any 'victories' in human justice, only a constant struggle. It's not a game.

[@johndanson4427]

Well put. It's a constant struggle, too true.

[@nazarmawj338]

❤❤❤ GOOD News

[@npoliver2757]

A terrible injustice- which just shows what the Western world stands for.

[@StrPtrn]

Julian is a great Hero.

[@warrenriwichman9116]

Good work everyone. Respect

[@keithlucas1173]

Amen thank god ! He must be careful ! Get back home safe 💪🙏👌🧐☺️

[@horivandermeijs1198]

This is such great news!! wel done to all people who helped Julian Assange !!

[@cripmoorey]

Marvelous news. Solidarity from Japan

[@fongponto]

Thank you guys For taking on the Torch that Assange lit What a great news that Julian Assange is freed

[@BustedRust]

Julian Assange is not free. He will be wearing his gag for the rest of his life unless he moves to a place where he can really be free. The inquisition has won. At least he is alive. God bless Julian Assange, Stella & the kids!

[@breft3416]

I live in the US. I ask you, what country is free today? I'd like to go there. It's very hard these days.

[@johndanson4427]

Greetings Rust. The task is not just Julian's. He has given us 12 years of his life. It's more than most of us have done.

[@waterkingdavid]

​@@johndanson4427Well said. Let's not play the holier than thou game.

[@nimetbelhoula5462]

Ich traue den Amerikanern nicht. Ich hoffe, Julien passiert nichts. 🥺

[@fongponto]

Hoffen wir Alle

[@wsegen]

Assange is a true hero...

[@moitavide6652]

deffo ! praise & cherish this living icon .

[@joepvandijk7949]

I really like Erik's comparison with Gallileo Gallilei "eppur si muove", "and yet it moves" speaking about the earth revolving around the sun. Let's hope Julian Assange comes out with a really well drafted text with plenty of possible double readings and innuendos when he "admits" to his "crimes". Language is powerful. Ask Chomsky!

[@francegiacomelli7454]

Julian is free, at the moment it is the most important! And the movement for his liberation not to give up and continue to fight on!

[@BeatriceGomez-wk9nq]

Yes the criminals still committing their crimes today

[@zovalentine7305]

Tears of joy ❤

[@juligrlee556]

Yes Yanis. Thanks for your analysis.

[@sergiolalaian1558]

Free Free He is free at last!

[@clumsydad7158]

thank you for the update/summary of events, and yes it is a stain on journalism and free speech to have to accept and guilty plea, but yet a proud day that julian can walk free among us, and let the youth know truth can survive and prevail in circulating around the world ... keep the message and the info flowing, so humanity can survive itself; peace

[@julietaaboka3285]

I'm happy that Assange is out of jail and sad for the blow on journalism and freedom of speech. I'm afraid Julian will never be safe unless he joins Edward Snowden in Russia. Special thanks to Yanis Varufakis for explaining some details in the struggle for justice.

[@MicheleCarmichael]

Julian is not the criminal the system is!!

[@kellymaguire7912]

Marvelous news! Yay!

[@shahlaahy4372]

To stand up and be counted necessitates Integrity, courage which none of those people had, as in historical tragedies depicted!

[@user-js4sb4qq2h]

The human spirit cannot be defeated!!!

[@prof.mohamedkhaliltimamy7074]

Whatever "confessions" Julian is expected to make, these are not done voluntarily. Rather, Julian is being coerced to saying what he never did. In law, there is a word for it. In science, he is very much an eminent example of the Galilean tradition.

[@zahirahussain5061]

Julian welcome back. To all the free people of the worldthis is welcome news. Rest a while...after the hardship and unjust treatment. Welcome back.

[@tonywilson4713]

AUSTRALIAN HERE: I only got to watch the last part of the live stream. In simple terms this has been well greeted in Australia by most but certainly not all. Personally I think this is long overdue and should have happened years ago. While the Trump fans howl and scream about the political persecution of Donal Trump and the Democrats howl and scream about the political persecution of Hunter Biden *REALITY* has been missed and with that loss of reality the tragedies. Almost completely forgotten is the media frenzy is that there were people who's lives were snuffed out in a moments of madness. There wasn't just one but some stand out like the July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike where Namir Noor-Eldeen an Iraqi war photographer for Reuters. Noor-Eldeen, his assistant, Saeed Chmagh, as well as eight others were gunned down by the crew of an American AH-64 Apache helicopter using their 30mm auto cannon. They were not simply shot they were obliterated. 30mm cannon shells are designed to take out armoured vehicles and light tanks and in some cases main battle tanks. Yes Julian has been badly treated, but he is still alive and has supporters and friends. We should NOT FORGET 2 important facts. The victims were real human beings with families and futures. The real perpetrators who instigated the invasion of Iraq and all of the atrocities that followed have never been held accountable.

[@waterkingdavid]

Wonderful summary by Yannis. Only thing perhaps missing is that this "success" has been also due to certain Aussie government folks' tireless efforts too (not forgetting citizens). Australia has absolutely as a whole been utterly dreadful towards Julian but I'm sensing (hoping)that he's going to now be a source of pride for the country. I hope so. Come up from down under!!!

[@DenuxiaVelonkasina8]

Speechless

[@M_Bamboozled]

What assurance does he have that the plea bargain isn't a lie and that they won't detain him on something trumped up? I'd like to see him land in Australia before I believe he is free. It may sound nuts, but the world is nuts right now.

[@kp6215]

Me Too waiting for his wife to give me exactly what we need to do now.

[@agnikollias6678]

Thank you Y.Varufakis ❣️

[@MaxMitch22]

Time for the US to take its rightful place in the world. One of irrelevance.

[@BeatriceGomez-wk9nq]

Thats right power is crucret we know the truth he spoke

[@user-ne8yi1io4h]

Until he lands in Australia, plenty can still happen.

[@fongponto]

Fuck that shit!

[@ferahsudenazulusoy4553]

Pls don't say that.

[@Rabia_Burak]

I hate to say what I'm about to say but even after reaching Australia, he won't be safe.. He should choose Russua to go and to live... may God protect him, Amen!

[@marygarrapa3537]

Is he safe in Guam? Can they still play a nasty trick? Forgive me for waiting to celebrate when he is safely in Australia.

[@stevewoodward2909]

"And yet, it moves"

[@stormygorillagirl]

It's a victory of world activists, Stella A., Australian diplomacy and Julian A.

[@stormygorillagirl]

Yes, of course, it's Biden electoral strategy.

[@awrupi.6272]

1. What guarantee is there that they will not hold him in Guam? What if the US is lying about the ‘declaration of guilt’ and let him go free as he has illegally served those 5 years already? Anything USA isn’t trustworthy. 2. Thank you for standing up for Arundhati Roy. As an Indian I know how dangerous this regime under Modi is. It’s not just the BJP but their Hindutva (Hindu supremacy) roots go deep into Indian societies through RSS and their façades like ‘NGOs’ ‘schools’ etc etc etc

[@BeatriceGomez-wk9nq]

Greatest news he's free

[@landontesar3070]

Just finished reading 'Adults in the Room' last night at 5:15 AM. Could not put it down. Thank you, Yanis. June 24th should be 'Truth to Power Day'

[@hussainmunawar4021]

based

[@eugenio1542]

“The Kangaroo Court of Australia” and SBS TV of Australia is also celebrating. Our ambassador to USA is supposed to be on side ? Free Australia, David McBride and Daniel Duggan as well ☝️❤️✌️🌍🙏

[@ianbrown_]

Brilliant Yanis ❤

[@GoPoundSalt]

Never forget that Australians banned this guys, "we don't know him" - "shaming our country" I sought I would never see it happening.

[@beltcro]

Yes, Australias muted hypocrisy.. .Frre McBride

[@adishaktik.s.hronopoulos6503]

While I am grateful for Julian’s impending freedom, I recognise the cost and how much this man has suffered. I won’t breathe a sigh of relief until he’s home safely.

[@Smartgran]

I THINK I HAVE FOUND MY TRIBE

[@BeatriceGomez-wk9nq]

When you're smart you don't believe their lying because we know evil never speaks truth

[@dusty-lynnbristol519]

❤

[@juliahartshorn2473]

I am glad Julian Assange has been released at last - but i cannot say it is a win for democracy, in fact, with him having to plead guilty just for exposing crimes against humanity a legal president will have been set which will impact on the investigative work that supports healthy democracy - the stakes are higher under this increasingly repressive western power house that we are unfortunate enough as citizens to live in. I can't abide colonialism, nor oppression, and I hate to feel totally powerless against elite power - 'democracy' , ha!

[@waterkingdavid]

What do you suggest Jula? He stay on for another 10 years with 23 hours a day solitary confinement? Sometimes some compromise is required surely.

[@tomtom2030]

So happy for Julian! ❤❤

[@marygarrapa3537]

He should mever have been imprisoned. Who will give him back those years?

[@fongponto]

Blahblahblah...

[@jaysphilosophy1951]

He should take the plea deal. Theyll let him out if he takes the plea...

[@FrancesSanchez-gw7lt]

FURTHER PUBLIC HUMILIATION

[@jussiniemi9560]

As if our destinys are in anyway dependent on Julian Assange's. But glad he is free. Wouldn't take planes if I was him.

[@terraviva.solutions]

Thank you for your sane and uplifting perspectives! Could you please post your names as is done generally in interviews when you start speaking so we can get to know you better? 🙏

[@andrearenee7845]

😇🥰

[@ArtoS12]

To Danae: Once again, we must be very careful to not mix-up our personal relation to Julian and the political work that relates to all political prisoners. While in no way one should disparage the activist work, it is certainly not clear what exact effect it has in general. This deal has been in the works for the best part of a year, and the stories one hears regarding it all generally point in one direction even if the facts differ: the Biden administration had no want to drag Assange through the courts for their own political purposes. Whether it was to boost their youth vote, or to sabotage Trump's chance to do it himself, or to just avoid a very large media sensation so close to an election. Of all people in the world, Stella Assange has the right to view this personally, she has the right to be in turmoil over what i assume to be the two most important things in her life (her loved ones and her cause, his cause, our cause), but we have lost when this became "a personal issue". The way this was sold in Australia, politically, the way it was able to get wide support was by making it an issue of "enough is enough". If you know anything about Australian politics and our nation in general, this is our perennial feeble cry. As if, there was no Australian to ever walk into Gaza and remark, "Hey wait a minute now! Enough is enough!". It is embarrassing and juvenile. Im sorry but we need to be ruthless here. It does NOT MATTER if Julian got home to his family or not; just as much it matters if ANY political dissident is released or not released. Is not Snowden the paradigmatic case here? Because he never went to prison and is essentially "hiding out in Russia", he immediately became excremental. He is the proof that 'deeds matter', and that the human who did them is absolutely expendable, interchangable and also used up, a husk. The work we do, the work we respect, our heroes, we must accept that this EMPTIES a person. That when you engage in that ultimate ethical act, you steal those CIA documents, and become a social pariah, that there is nothing waiting for you - we do not have some 'other society' that you can fly to and be crowned King. A traitor is a traitor until you win your war. We have not won. Did Julian want to go along with this initially? No he did not, why would he, he had already spent 14 years locked away, why do it all FOR NOTHING. The US while not getting its first choice, certainly got its second: No they didnt get a charge, but a plea, so it can hold no precedent (though one can also argue that they wanted this also), but far more importantly, now, Assange is like Snowden, as in to say, NO MARTYR. One can stop the printing press, the "Remember Assange" shirts, can all be thrown in the trash. Truly, one can only hope he does a Geronimo, makes his peace with his captors, pays them lip service...and then gets right back to being the miserable gad fly we admire him so much for.

[@Chase-cj1oi]

JULIANNNNNNNNNNNS NAME TATTOOED ON MY BOO TEE

[@chandir7752]

I had no idea this offer had been made 9 months ago. I assumed his release was the result of some US decision made a few days ago

[@DenuxiaVelonkasina8]

Speecless. Guy is eloquent

[@user-ij6mz7px6u]

11pm

[@kforest2745]

You’re not supposed to feel any of that that’s the game don’t you know. “We felt that the struggle to save Julian was probably lost and there were bleak moments there were stony years”

[@kp6215]

One Scottish beer then the struggle continues.

[@ColargolPL]

One thing I don't understand: Why do you believe he's not going to rot in a US prison in Guam (or flown to mainland USA once he pleads guilty of whatever)?

[@kp6215]

We knew Julian would never harm a women thus we knew was false.

[@ianbrown_]

Edward Snowden

[@rebelmango2141]

I wonder if these people will now make a fuss about the US journalists imprisoned by Russia

[@waterkingdavid]

I see great mango rebel! So in your world everything is black and white. Good America and the west and Ukraine and Israel! Bad Russia and Iran and Palestinians etc. How nice simple. How completely and utterly boring and predictable!! But how utterly bonkers and plain wrong. Did you ever bother to actually read anything at all about anything except the propaganda notes of your beloved countries???

[@TauvicRitter]

Good for him. Are all prosecutions dropped everywhere?

[@waterkingdavid]

I guess you're seeking to find negativity in this also. Easiest thing to do as one csn always do that. Question is are you perfect? Perhaps but probably not.

[@suebowman7258]

We will donate to Jullian fundraising to pay for the airplane cost. It is sad that he has to pay for it.

[@jacquelineanncollins7412]

Assange has been released?!!

[@mariq9918]

ALIANÑ

[@drthomason7043]

Why go to Guam which is a 🇺🇸 territory. Theyll take him to Quontano Bay. American Samoa would be closer to Austrailia.

[@paulmatters2641]

So he confesses and its a victory. Really? They have a precedent

[@kp6215]

Only his lawyers and Consortium News with Glenn Greenwald can tell us meaning of the documents.

[@paulmatters2641]

@@kp6215 He will be required by law to verbally confess and express remorse verbally before a Judge of a US court before the deal will be accepted. Stop the BS

[@kforest2745]

Is there a reason his words aren’t in sync with his lips fk I hate that shite

[@TEKANNON-bz9fm]

In all due respect to Jullian and everyone who has championed for him, I only have this to say. What happened about the rape charges against Assange from Sweden? It's no question that Assange had his 1st amendment's right in publishing sensitive material, but don't tell us that agents whose names were mentioned were to have been simply asked to go home from, say, Afghanistan after being caught collaborating with the enemy. Aside from that, were the rape charges from Sweden simply made up? Why did Assange deny them and not be willing to at least be questioned about it by Swedish prosecutors and instead ran to the Ecuadorian Embassy to hide out for 7 years until the charges were not able to be prosecuted? Something is wrong with this wholesome, homecoming picture, with Julian portrayed as a martyr for press freedom with so much controversy still hanging like heavy humidity in the hot air.

[@ArtoS12]

For Karen: No, we do not 'need' independent journalism, or if we do, its a tool we would rather not use. What we actually want is manufactured consent (this F$%$ing term, guys, when you sit here doing your political work, are you not trying to "manufacture consent"?), you just want it done better. Ive never heard anyone complain that we were all lead into "JFK" for example. As far as we all know now, the best societies we can have certainly rely on not only a manufacturing of consent, but also a shared set of beliefs/knowledge. Which is to say, in a good society, we would all watch THE SAME NEWS. How anyone can promote what we have now, with every man, woman, and child bleeting into their microphone about "the truth"...you like this? you think this is for the best? No, its a nightmare. Its literally a sign and sympton of society coming apart. How can we chastise the moderate conservatives when their attacks on us ring so true? We literally support and promote ideas that are symptoms of decaying law and order. Its not even a big jump here: We can easily support whom we want in the meantime while still maintaining that, in essence, we dont actively prescribe to a breakdown of society. We have long let the right have a monopoly on 'what really matters to people', and they can be as incompetent as they like because there is no other game in town. Law, order, patriotism, religion - all these CRUCIAL aspects of any society we have abandoned - the first task should be getting these back. Every time i remember that theology was left to the fundamentalists i want to be sick. Please, please can we not fall into the trap that many incredible intellectuals have recently: Just because US imperialism is horrifying does not abdicate our responsibility for actually creating a political platform and creating a base. We can have our "No!", and we can 'have' our lack of hope (I assume Horvat meant this in a Zizekian fashion), but we must also sell our form of leftist enjoyment. Having a million flowers bloom to tell the truth about "those who run society" also always comes an unintended truth attached: they are, in the end, the only ones offering a society. We do not.

[@etch-a-sketch]

What is „radical“ about freeing Julian Assange? It is a matter of legality and the law.