Hi Folks,

Find attached some photos of our action (taken by Maria of CW Farmhouse) as Roland and I blockaded Woolwich Courts/London following the recital of Julian Assange's extradition verdict by the magistrate (author!?? author!???).

We made our move immediately after Julian, who we could see at distance in the courtyard, had finished his press conference. We knelt in front of the then raised boom gate leading into the courtyard. We held signs "Free Bradley Manning! Free Julian Assange! End the War!" and the Phil Berrigan quote "If they come for the innocent without stepping over your body, Cursed be your religion and your life!"

We were approached immeidiatey by the senior poice officer guarding the gate who demanded we move. We refused. Sue, through the megaphone at the vigil space, began to announce our action to fellow vigilers and the world's media who were still some 40 metres behind us.

The senior officer returned promptly with a man in civvies who bent over toward me and demanded we leave. His laminated i.d. badge was literally and lightly swinging from his neck and hitting me in the face as he did so.

To buy some time for the media to cop on and take up position I said, "Well who are you?"
He told me.
To buy some more time, I responded, "I want to see some i.d.?"
He actually held his laminated card still in front of my face before they all realised I was taking the piss.
By this time the media had surrounded us and they began dragging us.

Despite, what Janet Jackson would refer to as, a "wardrobe malfunction" where my bare butt was momentaily exposed to the world's media (my punk studded belt wasn't doing its job), the cops were being pretty careful under such great scrutiny. Best responses to the bare butt photo this far......
"Cops dack Ciaron!: Genny, Wales.
"Pogue Mahone" Jimmy ex-Dub, Brisbane

The cops dragging me stopped to rest after a couple of yards. We held up our signs through their legs and I kept speaking to the issues at hand - the ongoing torture of Bradley Manning, the persecution of Julian Assange, the war, the journalist victims in in the footage Manning is accused of releasing.
The cops ordered me to move again.
I asked if I was under arrest?
They said no.
I said, well I'm not moving!

The vehicle carrying Julian Assange stopped and someone got out to see if we were ok. The police ordered them back into the vehicle and to move immeidately.

They dragged me some more until the entrance to the court was clear and dumped me in the roadway with heaps of media, so were now effectively blockading the entrance to Catgory A Belmarsh Prison. Fine by me! Did some more speaking and that was it.

Photos and footage of the action have appeared in the Washington Post, Yahoo News, Associated Press, Forbes, and the Times of India Lots of folks around the globe have made contact wondering if we are ok.
Roland and I are fine. We have known each other for 28 years and have been dragged through various jails in various jurisdictions over that time.

Hopefully our small action gave Julian, and a lot of you, a lift and sends out a message that there are still folks resisting this war.