The internationally renowned New Carnival Company based in the heart of Ryde, Isle of Wight will be providing carnival puppets, costumes, and props for the Night Carnival, organised by Don’t Extradite Assange, the official UK campaign group to free Julian Assange, to be held on 11th February at Lincoln’s Fields, London at 4pm.
Lady Justice
One of the puppets joining the carnival is the imposing and regal 13ft high Lady Justice with features from the Statue of Liberty.
Last week Lady Justice was out in Ryde for a trial run to promote the carnival, decorated with the iconic yellow ribbons for Assange and decked in all her lights much to the amazement of passers-by many of whom stopped to take photos.
Isle of Wight Artists for Assange
She made her way up the town via Union Road, Ryde Theatre, The Crown, and Ryde Town square accompanied by three effervescent winged attendants from the group Isle of Wight Artists for Assange who run a Facebook page @artforjulianassange and have held art exhibitions locally dedicated to Julian as well as showing the documentary’ XY Chelsea’ at Ryde Commodore and more recently ‘Ithaka’, a film about Assange’s family’s fight for his freedom, to a full house at Ventnor Art Club.
Held on remand for four years
Lady Justice is a powerful symbol of liberty, free speech, and the traditional value placed by the USA on the first amendment.
With her large scales, she represents the fight for justice for Assange who has been held as an unconvicted political prisoner on remand for almost four years now in HMP Belmarsh the UK’s harshest prison, much of it in isolation while fighting his extradition to the US where he faces 175 years imprisonment for his journalism which exposed USA state crimes including war crimes and torture.
Human Chain to Surround Parliament
The Night Carnival to Free Assange builds on the hugely successful Human Chain to Surround Parliament in October 2022 when thousands of people joined hands to encircle parliament, including crossing over the Westminster and Lambeth bridges and along the Southbank.
Recently released Iranian political prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her family also joined the event to show solidarity with Julian and his family along with MPs and well-known public figures demanding Julian Assange’s freedom.
Toll on Julian’s health
The toll on Julian’s health has been immense and in October 2021, Julian Assange had a mini-stroke during an appeal hearing. His physical and mental decline has been predicted by the 300-plus Doctors for Assange (https://doctorsforassange.org/) and Nils Melzer the UN Rapporteur on Torture who went on the write a book about the Assange case: ‘The Trial of Julian Assange: A Story of Persecution’ which is available in Isle of Wight libraries.
Publishing is not a crime
All major international human rights and free press organisations have spoken out against the extradition of Julian Assange and recently the five major newspapers that worked with WikiLeaks in publishing the leaked documents wrote an open letter to USA president Joe Biden to drop the charges stating: publishing is not a crime.
The powerful words portraying the spirit of the carnival are #DarknessIntoLight as people gather in London and around the globe to create a carnival, in its traditional sense, to mock the tyranny and excesses of the powerful and demand that Julian Assange be freed.
Find out more
More details about joining #NightCarnival2FreeAssange can be found on the Website, where you can also add your signature to the Don’t Extradite Assange petition
Isle of Wight Artists for Assange are on Facebook @artforjulianassange and Twitter: @zannafauzy
News shared by Anna in her own words. Ed
Images: © Ben Francis
