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WikiLeaks has been one of the most sensational media houses in the world, which has time and again published documents and information which took the world by storm. However, in doing so, the buzz-worthy media house and its co-founder, Julian Assange, have made more enemies than friends.
Earlier this month, Julian Assange was arrested from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and has since been speculated to be extradited to the United States. Assange is accused of accessing classified information illegally and publishing footage of US Soldiers killing civilians in Iraq, which exposed the atrocities committed by the United States Troops against. Former US Intelligence Analyst, Chelsea Manning allegedly helped Assange to access the documents.
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Following his arrest, public support started pouring in from all over the world, demanding the UK Government to oppose the extradition demand by the US. Especially members of the media fraternity and civil society groups have strongly condemned the crackdown on Assange, who was under asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy since 2012. Showing solidarity with Assange, Reporters Without Borders, an organization fighting for press freedom stated,
“(this would) set a dangerous precedent for journalists, whistle-blowers, and other journalistic sources that the US may wish to pursue in the future.”
Moreover, a public fundraiser was initiated hours after Assange’s arrest, which garnered an overwhelming response. Fascinatingly, people also donated in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, ZCash, and Dash. This shows that the crypto community also stands in solidarity with Assange. Dash shared a YouTube video link on its official Twitter handle, and asked: “Whether Cryptocurrencies will save Julian Assange?”
Will crypto-currencies save #JulianAssange_?#BenSwann_ #RT_com #Dash #DigitalCash https://t.co/lBAfINzyny
— Dash (@Dashpay) April 21, 2019
In the video, famous crypto analyst and journalist, Ben Swann was being interviewed on how crypto communities have come forward to save Julian Assange. Swann stated that within 24 hours of the launch of the fundraiser, about $34,000 worth of Bitcoins were donated to support Assange’s legal battle. He further added that other Crypto communities like ZCash and Dash Coin have contacted WikiLeaks, and asked them to accept donations from these tokens two.
This shows that the entire crypto space is ready to stand in support of Julian Assange, who himself has been among the strong supporters of cryptocurrencies. Assange has been against government control over the life of common people. According to Swann, cryptocurrencies and Assange share the same philosophical inclination to the idea of breaking systematic control by Governments over how civilians should live. Cryptocurrencies came into being with the idea of challenging the traditional monetary and banking systems, much like what WikiLeaks has been doing since its inception in 2006.
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Digital currencies are based on the core beliefs of decentralization, transparency, free choice and security. Most of these are what Assange fights for, and crypto communities supporting him is just the right way to stay true to these values. The arrest of Assange is being considered as an attack on investigative journalism in particular, and freedom of the press at large.
