- Timeline all posts #340

FreeAssange Day

1) Nothing to do except announce it

It will NOT take extra time or effort or interfere with what you are already doing. On the contrary it will only accelerate and empower everybody’s existing and future efforts worldwide! It will dramatically increase public pressure and the probability of Julian Assange being released sooner, in fact, maybe even before Day X ever arrives!
As said before, the message is the goal! Just announcing the Declaration of #FreeAssange Day one week, or even better two weeks, before the actual day would have created a global hype amongst all active #FreeAssange supporters so great, that it would unavoidably and unstoppably have infected non-active #FreeAssange supporters too as well as people who weren’t aware or those who didn’t even know (too many young people!). Talking about pandemic 😉

I am and have been genuinly worried about Julian’s well-being and all that he represents since the beginning, but dramatically more so after Yanis Varoufakis’ video where he bluntly states that Julian is dying.

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Julian Assange is Dying | Yanis Varoufaklis (EN►DE/EN/ES/FR/IT/NL)

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It suddenly made me feel even a greater urgency that something has to be done right NOW!
Since then I have been crushing my brains thinking about what we, all the people that support Julian, could do to extra boost to the public attention and, with it, maybe accelarate his liberation.
And then, in the Truth Fall teaser, you yourself came up with the answer, Stella.

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The Trust Fall: Julian Assange – Documentary (extract of teaser 1 – EN►DE/ES/FR/IT/NL)

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In a flash it was YES!!! Off course!
Let’s turn December 7 into International FreeAssange Day!

A third video shot that had really impacted me and filled with outrage at the obvious injustice of it all is the one where they drag Julian out of the embassy into the van and where he cries out “you MUST resist” and “you CAN resist!”.

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1:11

You must resist. You CAN resist! – Julian Assange

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Can we? I say we can and we must.

Initially my thought was that we, people like me with websites or in commitees, had to “create” something from the ground up and “organize” things to provide (new) content and value to this FreeAssange Day. But this night, instead, it has suddenly become clear to me that it’s actually the contrary and much simpler. It’s in your hands!

What really is going to work instantly and with impact is top-down!

SA team only has to anounce the declaration that December 7 is going to be FreeAssange Day
(just to be clear: ONLY, in the sense of only this: anounce in the top ten telegram, twitter and fb groups)

Once you do that, then you will see how fast your ground troops will pick up the message, pass it, engage, come together and start working out what they can do within their possbilities, even on short notice.

Official announcement of International #FreeAssange Day (IFAD)

Dear friends of Julian. Dear people of the world.

Julian Assange has been detained in one form or another since the seventh of December 2010 and now is close to dying from solitary confinement in Belmarsh prison without ever being charged or convicted.
To commemorate the beginning of this injustice brought upon an innocent man and the greatest attack ever on the Freedom of Press thirteen years ago, we officially declare that from now on:

7 December is International #FreeAssange Day

We invite all people and all organizations on this planet who care about Julian, who care about Freedom of Press, who care about Human Rights and who care about true Democracy to endorse this declaration during this week.
How? Simply by wearing your #FreeAssange t-shirt and/or badges openly, publically and clearly exposed when you go out onto the street. All day, every day! To school, to work, to meetings, on the train, bus, metro, to the supermarket, bar, restaurant, discoteque, gym… anywhere! Expose your posters and leaflets on windows, on bikes, in cars. And when people ask, explain them and invite them to join and do the same.
This week, let’s create a constant buzz and make it grow into a giant collective roar on Thursday, December 7th, that can be heard up to the courtrooms and Belmarsh itself so that both the judges as Julian will hear and know how many we are raging his same battle for Truth and Justice.

Julian told us: “You must resist. You CAN resist.” 

Let’s do so.

2) “The Plan” – essence

Apart from specifically NOT pretending to centrally “organize”, “plan”, “prepare” or “control” what the people should do, and, instead, allow them to FREELY develop and execute their own inspirations and creativity within their own means and surroundings…
the essence of “the plan” consist of just ONE simple thing:

Have all #FreeAssange supporters simply go out on the streets in real life wearing their #FreeAssange t-shirts and/or badges openly, publically and clearly exposed. All day, every day!  up to #FreeAssange Day and also after if they wish, of course.
To school, to work, on the train, bus, metro, to the supermarket, the bars, the restaurants, discoteques, gyms… where-ever!
This alone will result in more exposure, effect and impact than any “viral internet post” or any local and punctual manifestation (certain date, certain time, certain place for some hours).

How it works – basics

Just wearing a visible #FreeAssange badge, every day, the whole day!
(the most elementary option)

Example scenario:

• On sunday the first active #FreeAssange supporter A goes out to the street with his #FreeAssange badge clearly exposed on his shirt/coat. While going about his normal life he takes the bus/metro, goes to school/work, passes by the supermarket/shop and ends the day in a bar/restaurant or with friends!
  Over the day his #FreeAssange badge will be constantly exposed in a passive, non-invasive and non-aggressive way to hundreds of people. What happens?
  Some won’t even see it (0), some won’t care (1), but probably a majority WILL see it (2) and make a mental notice (3). Some will wonder what it is (4), others may even stop to really observe (5), others again will actually recognize it (6) and many will agree! (7). They might even ask a question!! (8) and start a conversation!!! (9).
  The most beautiful thing is of course when A meets formerly unknown second active #FreeAssange supporter B in the supermarket (10), thanks to the badge they recognize each other as part of the “family/community” (11), start talking (12), exchange ideas (13), have new inspirations (14), maybe agree to initiate some action for #FreeAssange Day (15), may become the seed of a new local active group (16) and maybe even become friends (17).
  Let’s say the indicated numbers are the #FreeAssange “Affinity Factor” (FAAF -invented on the go as I was writing).
• On monday both A and B go about their ordinairy life, again with #FreeAssange well exposed.
  Again hundreds of people who see the badges. Let’s say that half of these people had already seen the badge the day before, either from A or B so a first repetition occurs. What happens? Well…
  for example, some of the people with #FreeAssange Affinity Factor 4 (wondering what it is) will shift to FAAF 5 (recognize it). Some who already recognized it (5) may this time ask a question and shift to (7). Etcetera.
  At least a part of the group of hundreds of sunday will shift one FAAF up on monday.
• Tuesday… A, B and C go about their life with their #FreeAssange exposed.
  A new repetition occurs amongst the hundreds of people they cross. Again part of these people shift one level higher in their #FreeAssange Affinity Factor FAAF. Possibly some of them reach the “level” to start wearing a badge as well.
• Wednesday… A, B, C, D, E, F… go out on the street with #FreeAssange clearly exposed.
  Get the idea? Repetition after repetition collective awareness and engagement grows.
  And this would only be the basics.
  Now imagine this same scene in some neighbourhood, not starting with just one single indivitual but let’s say with 20 people triggered by the anouncement of #FreeAssange Day. Right from the day of the anouncement many #FreeAssange supporters will start wearing their badges openly! The next day maybe twice as much people because they have seen the others doing it, and the third day twice as much again. And so on, until…
• Thursday 7 december #FreeAssange Day will be a culmination of badge-wearing and mutual motivation amongst active #FreeAssange supporters and also the non-active, the non aware and probably ALSO some non-supporting (moreover, thursday is a great day for the culmination! – people would continue celebrating it over the weekend and possibly the week after)
• In the meantime, during those days of growing repetition of this passive, non-intrusive and non-aggressive exposure to the #FreeAssange badge, from the anouncement (I had hoped at least a week before) to the official Declaration of #FreeAssange Day on 7 December, all people would have shifted one, two or more levels higher in their Affinity for #FreeAssange so the collective awareness, public opinion and pressure would have increased dramatically. Maybe doubled, tripled or even more. This new additional public pressure might well have been strong enough for the “authorities” to decide not to extradite Julian or at least postpone it. Or, if public pressure had really exploded, they might even decide to actually release him.

Exponential, organic growth

Exponential
Imagine that you just go about your normal life, obviously with #FreeAssange exposed. Since you’re actively engaged, every day you seduce 1 other person into becoming actively engaged as well and they at their turn start seducing 1 person a day too. (seducing is better than convincing 😉
What happens?

• Day 1 – 1 Actively Engaged Person (you) makes 1 more Actively Engaged Person (AEP) = 2
• Day 2 – 2 AEPs make 2 new AEPs = 4
• Day 3 – 4 AEPs make 4 new AEPs = 8
• Day 4 – 8 AEPs + 8 new = 16
• Day 5 – 16 + 16 new = 32
• Day 6 – 32 + 32 = 64
• Day 7 – 64 + 64 = 128
• Day 8 – 128 + 128 = 256
• Day 9 – 256 + 256 = 512
• Day 10 – 512 + 512 = 1024
• Thursday 7 december #FreeAssange Day = Day 10? Day 9? Day8? Day7? Day6? ???

Simply because you are actively engaged with #FreeAssange, you potentially are the source of more than a thousend new actively engaged people in just ten days, it grows exponentially! That’s why disposing of enough days to do it was so essential.
Even if real results may be half of this or even one tenth, calculate this again, but now starting with a million persons all over the world…

Organic
Moreover, this growth is beautifully organic, because it works person to person, in real life and comes about in a natural way. It’s human, it’s nice, it’s friendly, it’s warm.
It’s also totally NOT programmed and quite unpredictable which for once is nice too. We live in an over-arranged, over-calculated, over-programmed, over-organized society and people, consciously or unconsiously, are totally fed up with it even if they don’t know it (yet).
This unpredictable organic element only adds to the engagement and could actually be fun, if it not were for such a saddening motive.
People don’t have to be told anything or guided in any way what to do for #FreeAssange Day. Some will simply stick to just wearing the badge, others instead may be inspired to write a #FreeAssange song, paint #FreeAssange graffity on their house or their boat or their car or their dog (to name just something excentric), #FreeAssange cakes, cocktails, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
When people then, share their ideas, inspirations and actions over the internet they may inspire others, get in contact, make friends and create community. The virtual equivalent of the badge story.

The great advantage of this organic “organization” is:

1. It actually needs no organization, no planning, no programming, no control, no attention, no nothing. Not from the #FreeAssange supporters themselves nor from SA team! It will come spontaneously from the heart of each engaged person or group.
2. So you can just let it be and enjoy the variety and possibly surprising results (actions), because being FREE from restrictions allows for inspirational and creative space that, unavoidably,  will bring unexpected outcomes for #FreeAssange Day instead of a repetition of the same.

The Plan – additional features

Here we enter in the sphere of the logical and normal features, but with an extra boosted effect thanks to the created hype during the week (more or less) before and culminating in #FreeAssange Day

1. Badges
   Provide or have groups themselves provide three or four times as many badges than people in the group. So when they go around, they can offer new engaged people a badge to wear right away who then become a new “spreading source” of #FreeAssange. Just imagine whole groups that distribute ther or four times the number of people they are.
2. Leaflets
   Provide or have groups provide themselves with leaflets calling out for #FreeAssange Day as big header. With such a header it’s easy that people’s curiousity is aroused (specially if they have seen various badges going round the days before), which gives an easy entrance to talk with them. Even if you just leave stacks lying around in the supermarkets, the stations, shops and bars, lots of people will be triggered by the header and want to know more.
3. T-shirts
   Speaks for itself. During the hype lots of T-shirts will be bought and warn, adding to the #FreeAssange exposure and thus increasing awareness and most probably favorable Public Opinion and pressure.
4. Actions
   This would be the great and looked for surprise for everyone. What will everybody have invented as action or event for this day? It doesn’t matter how well they are executed (depending on the resources) there will be many in many places and they all will draw attention. Surely there will be a lot of nice, funny and impressive suprises!
   And then the exchange over the internet during the whole weekend and week after! (at least – maybe leading to new creative actions around the world)

Proposal: always end with “Furthermore, I consider that Assange must be freed.”

Open proposal to everybody, but very specifically to journalists. It’s very simple:

From now on, end all your articles, speeches, programs, broadcasts, podcasts, etcetera with the words:

“Furthermore, I consider that Assange must be freed.”

in written text add: #FreeAssange

This simple tactics was used by Cato the Elder, a politician of the Roman Republic.
The phrase originates from debates held in the Roman Senate prior to the Third Punic War (149–146 BC) between Rome and Carthage. Cato is said to have used the phrase as the conclusion to all his speeches, to push for the war, even when the debate was on a completely different matter. (wikipedia)

“Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse“

The force of this tactics is the continuous repetition, instead of just mentioning it once or twice and with that consider it “done” or to have complied. It’s (of course) the same tactics as used by publicity.
So, now lets use it for a real cause!

• In the first place Julian Assange has now been held prisoner and tortured without any official accusation or trial in Belmarsh, the worst prison of the UK, AKA the British Guantanamo, since 11 april 2019.
• He is held there for extradition to the US where he WILL be accused and possibly sentenced to 175 years of prison.
• The accusation of the US is no more than having reveiled the truth to the public about US war crimes. So WHO is the real criminal here?
• Even if you don’t care about Julian or you don’t like him, it is undeniable that Julian Assange has become the absolute symbol for the Freedom of Press and thus Freedom of Speech, which stands at the basis of (y)our Universal Human Rights.
  So even if you wouldn’t defend Julian, for your own good you should defend (y)our Human Rights.

US UK together have once again decided that they are above any international law, agreement, rule and human ethics, morality, dignity and consideration.
That sucks!

So again, all of us who publish anything, anywhere, lets always finish off those publications with: “Furthermore, I consider that Assange must be freed.”
Alternatively, if you want to keep the historical element in your declaration you can opt for latin:
“Ceterum censeo Assangem Liberandum esse”
Or if you’re short on time, space or letters also the good old #FreeAssange will do of course.

The important point is to be consistent.
Just in case you didn’t know… in the end Carthago WAS destroyed.

Ceterum censeo Assangem liberandum esse.  #FreeAssange

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