Global days of action reports, photos, and videos


Reports, photos, and videos:

Running updates from Saturday and Sunday, March 19th and 20th:

Greg Mitchell at The Nation has also promised to post updates on today’s events.

8:15 PM ET: Rainey Reitman reports: “Events in San Francisco were an enormous success.  On Saturday, Bradley supporters were in abundance at an anti-war rally that flooded the rainy streets with hundreds of people.  The primary Manning support group, led by David Solnit of Courage to Resist, marched in single file with their hands behind their backs as if in prison formation, accompanied by a slow and steady drum beat.  We were escorted by police through the pouring rain down the streets of San Francisco, apart from the main rally. Each participant wore a gag with the word “Truth” written on it, and carried a sign around their neck declaring their support for Bradley Manning. On Sunday, a group of about 30 protesters gathered at Yerba Buena Gardens. The group included Veterans for Peace, poets, students, and even members of Anonymous in their signature Guy Fawkes masks.  Members of Courage to Resist, Anonymous and Veterans for Peace spoke out about their support for Bradley Manning and decried his inhumane prison conditions.”

5:30 ET: Veterans for Peace have posted photos from March 19th here.

And somehow I missed this photo of stickers on riot shields (thanks abegaza).

5:00 ET: Photos from the Minneapolis, MN event today.

Portland, OR rally starting now!

Rainey Reitman reports the second Bradley Manning rally in San Francisco, CA was a success.

4:45 ET: The World Can’t Wait has posted amazing photos from Quantico, including this one of Daniel with Martha and our other friends sitting on the ground. Follow the group on Facebook.

News now that protesters have broken the barricade, from Jane Hamsher. The CodePink folks in their great, bright uniforms and whistles are so awesome!

Greg Maschke has posted photos from the support event held at The Hague today.

4:30 ET: Things have taken a nasty turn at Quantico. As protesters silently moved to march to the Iwo Jima Memorial to lay a wreath to remember the dead, Marine MPs refused to allow all but press and six veterans to proceed on to the Memorial. Prince William County police on the site joined the Marines in attempting to delay the protesters from proceeding, according to live tweeting by Jane Hamsher. In response, protesters laid and sat down on the ground, refusing to move. Police then began arresting protesters one by one and are loading them on to two nearby police buses for booking. Daniel Ellsberg is among those being arrested.

One of the protesters there, Helen Gerhardt, tweets that protesters are being peaceful in response to police pulling them up by both arms and putting them behind the line.

Rootwork updates that some protesters have stuck “Free Bradley Manning” stickers on police riot shields.

Minneapolis, MN reports their event went well despite rain and pics have been posted here and here so far.

Daniel Ellsberg’s comments today have been posted on YouTube!. Thanks to BearcubinDC.

3:40 ET: While our friends march in silence, here are video updates from yesterday’s events:

Sydney, Australia (thanks to Kate Ausburn):

Washington, DC:

3:20 ET: UKFriends of Manning event pics from London are coming online, thanks to hyweltededwards. Our friend Naomi, who maintains their blog, was photographed speaking.

At Quantico, Daniel Ellsberg, former Marine, newly released from DC prison: “The Marine Corps motto is ‘Semper fidelis’ – always faithful. But times like these raise the question: faithful to what? What most people don’t realize is the Marines take an oath not to the President, or the Commander in Chief, but solely to support the United States Constitution,” Ellsberg began. He went on to explain that he wished he had leaked earlier, in 1965, when he “could have saved lives.” But now, he said, “I want Bradley Manning’s courage to be contagious.”

David House, Bradley Manning’s friend and Network Steering Committee member:”I hope Obama can hear me,” House said. “I hope he knows that he cannot keep alleged whistleblowers lockedup in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day without exercise! . . . The time is now to act.”

With that, protesters are setting out to march to the Iwo Jima Memorial!

2:45 ET: Speakers at Quantico:

  • Zach Choate, Iraq Veterans Against the War: “If you’re an Iraq veteran, you’re all whistleblowers,” said the Army veteran who served from 2005-2008. “These ribbons mean nothing to me anymore. Why even wear them if you go to a foreign place and you start to tell the truth about what was seen? Today we are Bradley Manning, and that’s who I am.”
  • Jeff Patterson, Courage to Resist: “We’re not giving up on this case. We have a pre-trial hearing that’s going to be open to the public, and we are going to be back here,” said one of the founders of the Bradley Manning Support Network. “Today there are 30 cities around the world, just like us, gathering to do this. We’re not going to give up.”
  • CodePink’s TwitPic gallery now updated with live photos from Quantico.

2:30 ET: Rootwork reports about 300 protesters at Quantico, while Michael Whitney reports on the “literally hundreds” of police in “full riotgear with submachine guns.” However, the police have just announced they will allow us to leave a banner at the Iwo Jima memorial. Protesters are just about to march, somberly and respectfully, to the entrance to the base.

BBC News posted an article covering the Bradley Manning support event in London.

2:05 ET: FireDogLake just started their live stream from Quantico. Jandra is posting photos. Meanwhile, David House tweeted that Quantico MPs are out in full force, complete with riot gear and horses, to greet our protesters.

1:15 ET: Jandra Sutton tweets she sees folks coming in at Quantico now and has heard the major news organizations are going to show up. Wonder where they were yesterday when Ellsberg, et. al, were getting arrested? Oh yeah–at a press conference at the Pentagon, hearing about our latest war.

12:45 ET: FireDogLake will be broadcasting live from Quantico at 2:00 pm ET.

12:15 ET: Pictures have been posted on the web from Bradley Manning support events on March 19th:

9:00 am to Noon ET, March 20th: USMCB Quantico issued a threat advisory for today, citing the possibility of denial of email, internet and phone service, harassing phone calls, vandalism, infrastructure attacks, bomb threats, and harassing of personnel. Quantico personnel and surrounding commands have been advised to lock all unmonitored entrances. On the Marine Corps Museum website, where protesters may be parking, a notice has been posted warning visitors that the base is expecting heavy traffic today.

Veterans for Peace and Courage to Resist plan to lay a wreath at the Iwo Jima Memorial at Quantico, but organizers have been told that the Memorial will be closed today. At approximately 9:30 this morning, Jane Hamsher tweeted a confirmation of the closure.

March 19th: At least 113 anti-war protesters, including our own Daniel Ellsberg, were arrested yesterday afternoon in front of the White House. Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake has posted photos of the protest.

Dan Raphael wrote from Portland, OR that he was pleased to meet a group of Bradley Manning supporters at a “well-organized and good-sized rally and antiwar/peace march in downtown Portland.” The group is protesting today at the same site, Pioneer Square. Look for a report on this event later this week! Dan reported, “The weather was very cooperative, which was a relief. There was a marching-band percussion section that added a lot to the proceedings, and the vets who led the entire thing were great. The best speaker of the day was a very impassioned, younger vet. Bless his heart.” Dan , who is partially disabled and will have some issues walking, still plans to march for Bradley today. Will you? Visit the events page to join an event today!








The Uncommon Valor of Bradley Manning Blocked at Quantico Brig

23 thoughts on “Global days of action reports, photos, and videos”

  1. Thanks so much for helping Bradley Manning. I do political commentary and music. I just finished a music video about Bradley Manning called “America by Bradley Manning”. Please share with friends who care:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5vYFl0z9g0

    If any of you have any ideas for videos or songs, please hit me up. Let’s collaborate on some “Freedom of Press” activism. Whistle blowing is our patriotic duty to keep the “powers that be” in check. Please continue spreading the truth.

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  2. Sorry I could not be there with you courageous patriots. I’m too old and too far away, but I pass the torch of liberty as best I can from Key West.

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  3. It astounds me that you applaud activity that results in arrest. It’s no wonder police are out in force at Quantico today. Peaceful assembly? I think not.

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  5. @stan.willis: The right to petition, in the form of speech-making, marching, and picketing, is guaranteed by the petition clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The petition clause states:

    People have the right to appeal to government in favor of or against policies that affect them or in which they feel strongly. This freedom includes the right to gather signatures in support of a cause and to lobby legislative bodies for or against legislation.

    Arresting protesters is actually a violation of the First Amendment, not what our protesters have done today. I am very sorry, as an American, that you feel that it is justifiable for the government to assign one fully-armed, masked and plastic-shielded riot officer for each peaceful protester.

    Photos in this post clearly show protesters peacefully sitting on the ground. This form of protest has been done in our country since before the Civil War.

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  6. Yes, but the police told the protestors where they were and were not allowed to go. Instead, the protestors blocked an intersection. I don’t know if you were watching FDL’s stream, but the protestors were anything but peacful and cooperative.

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  7. I humbly accept your opinion Stan, but I respectfully disagree with you. Those holding Manning are doing the bidding of those who were exposed for US Military war crimes.

    Is it so weird to think those in command, who Manning (allegedly) called out would be angry? I think they are pissed off at getting caught. They lied about the civilian death count of Iraqis…they lied by over 15,000 people…possibly more.

    Who better to take your frustration on then the boy who nailed them…and any protester who would attempt to defend him?

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  9. The Virginia State Police and Prince William County Police were models of measured enforcement today at the protest at Quantico Marine Corps Base. KUDOS for their professionalism and their restraint!

    Even when dozens broke the law by setting down in the middle of the major highway outside the Marine Corps base or attempting to trespass on federal property, the police did everything to ensure their safety.

    Most of the protesters — those who understand civil disobedience — were also model citizens demonstrating their grievance. The wreath laying at the Iwo Jima Monument was a nice gesture too.

    Some protesters though were not interested in peaceably assembling. They were interested in causing a dangerous situation and looking for a fight. From my vantage, the protesters who broke the law are quite lucky the police didn’t break their heads.

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  10. It is all good, the civil disobiedience, th cops, the protestors were all fine…a couple of young kids were a bit juvenile in some name calling but other than that everyone was fine! Very successful rally!
    Hey Stan, it’s called protesting, get used to it, it’s just begun!

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  11. As part of the March 19-20th Global Day of Action in solidarity with Bradley Manning a small group of protestors gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Melbourne, Australia. Protestors expressed that if Bradley Manning is “guilty” of giving information to Wikileaks he is a hero not a criminal for revealing war crimes. The hypocrisy of the U.S. bombing Libya to support democracy whilst it tortures Bradley Manning was also pointed out. One participant highlighted that the 3 absolute human rights are: freedom from capital punishment, from slavery and from torture and that the U.S. was breaking two of these fundamental rights in regards to Bradley Manning as his current treatment is tantamount to torture and he is facing the death penalty. The small vigil was watched over by four members of the AFP and two Victorian police.

    http://www.indymedia.org.au/2011/03/20/melbourne-vigil-joins-global-day-of-solidarity-for-bradley-manning

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  13. On Sunday March 20 at 2 PM Atlantic time members of Queers in Solidarity for Bradley Manning held a rally at Officers Square in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada. We held the rally for Bradley as queer solidarity because we are angry that to date no gay and lesbian human rights organization has come out in support of Bradley Manning or even officially recognized his situation. We are part of the Bradley Manning support network.

    Our rally was covered by the local press including the Daily Gleaner, and blogger Charles LeBlanc.
    http://charlesotherpersonality.blogspot.com/2011/03/free-bradley-manning-protest-in.html

    Video of interview with event organizer:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hFen7GwJT0&feature=player_embedded

    Our reason for support of Bradley is explained in detail in Fredericton Queery, a local online news journal covering the queer community in Fredericton.
    http://frederictonqueery.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/inqueery-bradley-manning-dont-ask-dont-tell/

    Queers in Solidarity for Bradley Manning stands in support of our gay brother to demand the immediate end to this torture and abuse, to demand that he receives a rigorous defence and is finally set free as a champion of truth and human rights.

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  14. Wow. Great supporting guys. Thanks for believing in humanity first. Tyranny is old and boring.

    Remember tho, these soldiers are just doing what they’ve been ordered to do. Let’s not waste energy hating them or even their superiors who are only mad because they got caught giving terrible orders.

    Please also remember, any soldier who wants to come forward with testimony or evidence of more war crimes will be welcome with open arms, and will be considered a hero.

    Adam Winfield blew the whistle on his platoon in Afghanistan when his commanding officers suggested they killed Afghan civilians for sport, and they jailed him, attempting to use him as a patsy. He now has the attention of a judge who has seen his proof that he tried to get the word out about his orders:

    http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Judge-Soldier-can-show-he-reported-Afghan-plot-1223696.html

    Keep the faith guys, it’s not ALL the military, it’s higher ups in key positions who are only doing the bidding of those paying for the operations. Continue to love our troops, but keep passing good information their way about how to withdraw from an amoral, unethical killing machine.

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  20. Great article Dan. I picked up that 2nd one yesterday. Adam Winfield is another whistle blower who tried to get word out about his platoon killing Afghans for sport, but they put him in the brig, claiming it was all his doing…now the sh*t’s hitting the fan, because the judge is allowing Adam’s FaceBook contact with friends and family as evidence showing he was seeking help.

    http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Judge-Soldier-can-show-he-reported-Afghan-plot-1223696.html

    Unfortunately, that trial is becoming rigged as well:
    “In his email Friday, Judge Hawks revealed that he has been removed from Winfield’s case. Col. David H. Robertson appointed himself as trial judge. No explanation was given, and it was not immediately clear Sunday whether Hawks had also been removed from any other cases over which he has presided.”

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  22. Reflections From The Quantico War-Zone- The March 20th Rally In Support Of Private Bradley Manning- Free Bradley Manning Now!

    Markin comment:

    I don’t have much occasion, or at least have not had much occasion recently, to be in Northern Virginia and certainly not in Triangle, Virginia the town attached to the Quantico Marine Base just off the Jefferson Davis Highway (that road designation named for the President of the defeated, or at least I assumed it was defeated, Southern Confederacy alone should tell everyone, every Northern everyone, that we are dealing with a different animal here). Nor would I, in the normal course of events, have occasion to be seeking parking space in the mammoth parking lot in front of the eerily-shaped Marine Corps Museum across from the base, although my late father proudly served in the Marines in World War II and saw battle in the Pacific. But as I have explained elsewhere (see below, Why I Will Be Standing In Solidarity With Private Bradley Manning At Quantico, Virginia On Sunday March 20th At 2:00 PM- A Personal Note From An Ex-Soldier Political Prisoner) today though, this day, this spring-like March day I am here on class-war prisoner business in support of accused whistleblower Private Bradley Manning who is being held in close pre-trial confinement here.

    And so Northern Virginia Confederacy legacy or not, spring-like weather or not, I am here with other like-minded spirits to show our support in this desperate struggle to gain Private Manning’s freedom. And the usual cast of such characters are present: old-time radicals who have not lost that flickering flame that drove them to the left in their youths; Veterans for Peace, male and female, ex-soldiers of half the modern wars fought by the American imperial state, who learned the hard way, the very hard way, but learned, the madnesses of war and are out to spread the news; CodePink women who have become a righteous mainstay of the anti-war movement and put a little sparkle in as well; assorted Quakers and other religious people who know right from wrong in that milieu and are willing to do something about it; little old ladies in tennis sneakers (New Balance of course), little old men in tennis sneakers (ditto on the sneaker brand) and others, younger others, out to protest the outrageous treatment of alleged whistleblower Private Bradley Manning. Righteous people all, although maybe just a little too politically naïve about the nature of the American state. But I will let that pass for now as we are in a principled united front here on the issue that counted- freedom for Private Manning.

    What was not present and, in the end to our regret, was anything like the Bolshevik Party of Russia in 1917. Or some great cloud of pre-World War I Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, Wobblies) descending on a Western town for a raucous Free Speech campaign where all hell was expected to break loose by both sides. Or even, closer in time, some Hippie-Yippie-Communist conflagration to shut down the streets of Chicago in the 1969 Days of Rage or the American government in the streets of Washington, D.C. in 1971. But someone forgot to tell the Virginia state/ Marine military intelligence officers who organized the security forces against the grannies and grandpas massed outside the Quantico base that this was not the intention, never was the intention, and could not possibly be the intention of those who sought Private Bradley Manning’s release this day. In the headline I called it the Quantico war-zone and that is what the governmental preparations were like- I swear I have not seen so many fully-armed, SWAT teams, so many horse-riding Cossacks, so many just plain police officers massed for a small demonstration in a while. Maybe I would have to go back to those shutting down the American government 1971 days but at least there we knew what we were up against, and were ready to take our chances. Needless to say with so much police presence the air was tense with expectation. And also with the inevitable police overreaction to every small gesture of resistance, no matter how non-violently posed. Like the fate of the American government was at stake in Triangle, Virginia that day. Everybody from Obama on down in that crowd should have egg on their faces from this one. But in the end the important thing was that we were there to support Private Bradley Manning, a righteous winter soldier. And we did so.

    Note: I did not want to overload what I wanted to write above about the March 20th Quantico war-zone with a lot of speculation about what that massive police presence meant so I will put it in this note. Obviously some 30 billion dollars spent on intelligence-gathering, if that is the right word, does not buy you what it use to. A simple informer’s report from the March 19th Veteran’s for Peace-led march in front of the White House would have told the authorities that a mass rising at Triangle was not in the offing. And while we are on the subject it is clear that the Quantico security satraps did not bother to check with their Washington brethren about how to handle finicky grandpas and fidgety grandmas who WANT to be arrested as acts of civil disobedience. There were probably about a hundred or so police (maybe less) acting as security in front of the White House, the WHITE HOUSE for christsakes, who had the situation in well in tow and without serious incident. Additionally, and I take no credit for this one, apparently those in charge of Quantico security are-metaphorically-challenged and seemingly took literally the notion that we were there to free Bradley Manning. Like this was some Weather Underground freeing of guru Timothy Leary in the old days kind of action. In any case stop reading that old stuff and update your files.

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  23. My dear relatives,

    it is time to administer some nasty shock therapy to the American empire,
    an empire that claims that it’s all for human rights, peace, justice & democracy.
    We live in such a time, however, when a 23-year old human being who has the moral wherewithal to join forces with Wikileaks, thus showing the world what our out-of-control military is capable of doing, is tortured!
    We have all seen & heard the horrific events that occurred over the city of Baghdad a few years ago.
    When these heartless, mindless soldiers cheerfully machine-gunned from the air a couple of journalists, little kids & other adults… we became aware. Because these events were made available to Wikileaks, this openly fascist government
    is venting all its rage on a gentleman who ironically enough
    joined the military with good intentions
    speaking for Kalpulli, & presumably every other decent individual & organization on this planet, i want to go on record
    as demanding the immediate & unconditional release of our brother Bradley Manning.
    Whether Obama & his thugs like it or not.
    In addition
    the individuals responsible for the very real mental torture of this young man
    should themselves be court-martialled.
    Former Gen & Pres Dwight Eisenhower must be writhing in his grave at the thought of what our military is now doing!
    Please remember his brightest moment:
    his very last speech as president of the US in January 1961, when he warned us against “the unwarranted power of the military-industrial complex.”
    One has to wonder,
    in the dark, not in the light— what is happening to Bradley Manning right now, in the dark?
    What would be done to Eisenhower today, by the US military for making the kind of statement he made 50 years ago?
    Kalpulli may be embryonic, may be just past the point of conception, but speaking for my fellow members of the Governing Council,
    as well as myself, I’m serving notice
    on the jerks of the US:
    the day is going to come when there will be what I want to call a second Nuremberg!
    You may remember what had to be done to the Nazi’s in 1946 shen the world finally got a chance to bring them to trial and administer punishment.
    Release Bradley Manning immediately or we, who are the world,
    will make it hot for you.
    This is not idle polemic –we criticize Libya & other countries for the crummy way they treat their people.
    We have become them. Do you hear me Barack Hussein Selma Obama?
    After Bradley is released, after the hell he went through, for example,
    made to stand naked in front of his cell for hours,
    being denied such basics as pillows & blankets,
    being forbidden from doing basic exercises,
    somebody needs to see to this precious young man’s recovery.
    For this & so many other reasons, one of the goals of our organization will be the establishment of a multi-faceted people’s lobby to successfully confront & remove from power the individuals responsible for this kind of behavior!
    It is my hope & prayer, frankly,
    that the asshole who is commander of Quantico Marine base will read this & quake in his boots.
    Release Bradley Manning immediately, & unconditionally, & if you do so, maybe your sentence will be lightened a bit when the trials come.
    I cannot believe
    that our little organization, with virtually no resources, is the only thing that stands
    between the people & fascism USA. We’re not alone….
    Brother Bradley, we love you man.
    Your liberation is our liberation!!
    These are my words, I take full responsibility for them– thank you not only for reading these words but acting on them!
    Respectfully, in the name of a reinvented US,
    Brother Ray

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