Obama must live up to campaign promises by freeing whistle-blower Bradley Manning, say protesters

Supporters march in San Francisco demanding Obama uphold his campaign promise to protect whistle-blowers.

By the Bradley Manning Support Network. September 7, 2012.

On the day of President Obama’s DNC nomination acceptance speech, protesters in 34 cities acoss the United States targeted local Obama campaign headquarters to demand the President free accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower and Nobel Peace Prize nominee PFC Bradley Manning. International supporters, in Australia and the U.K., also protested at U.S. embassies.

In each city, supporters delivered a letter to the campaign, outlining their demands. The letter called on President Obama to release Bradley Manning and account for the abusive treatment he endured in the Quantico Marine Brig.

Michael Thurman, of the Bradley Manning Support Network and Iraq Veterans Against the War said, “Bradley Manning showed great courage in risking his life to do what’s right, by exposing evidence of war crimes and corruption our own government had hidden from us. Now we’re waiting for Obama to show a little courage and make good on his promise to have ‘the most transparent government in history’ by freeing whistle-blower Bradley Manning.”

Campaign staffers in some cities, such as Sacramento, Washington D.C., and Tucson, were receptive to the efforts, forwarding the letter and discussing Manning’s case with demonstrators. In San Francisco, a DNC delegate offered to submit a resolution to the national DNC on the activists’ behalf.

Elsewhere, staff members refused to engage. In New York, building security wouldn’t let Manning supporters visit the office. In Concord, NH, staffers locked the campaign office doors and closed the blinds.

Though he’s spent 837 days in prison, Bradley’s trial won’t begin until at least February 4. On November 27, defense lawyers will argue a pretrial motion to dismiss charges, based on his unlawful treatment at Quantico.

In the meantime, Manning supporters encourage more actions at Obama campaign offices nationwide, calling on the president to live up to his 2008 promise to protect whistle-blowers.

Actions where organized in the following cities:  Anchorage, AK, Birmingham, AL, Tucson, AZ, Culver City, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Menlo Park, CA, San Francisco, CA, Sacramento, CA, Washington, DC, Orlando, FL, Tallahassee, FL, Honolulu, HI, Des Moines, IA, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Charlotte, NC, Concord, NH, Albuquerque, NM, Santa Fe, NM, New York, NY, Syracuse, NY, Toledo, OH, Medford, OR, Portland, OR, Philadelphia, PA, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, Roanoke, VA, Olympia, WA, Seattle, WA, Madison, WI, Milwaukee WI, Huntsville AL, Portland ME,

See more photos from the actions here.

See the letter protesters mailed to Obama here,

Featured reports:

Report from NYC action.  bradleymanning.org.
Report from Washington, DC action. bradleymanning.org
Reports from Toledo, Tallahase, Seattle and Boston. bradleymanning.org
 ”Protesters tell Obama to free Bradley Manning”. San Francisco Bay Guardian.
“Free Bradley Manning protest in Menlo Park”. indybay.org
“Protesters Occupy Obama Volunteer Center in Menlo Park”. patch.com
“Bradley Manning Demonstrations Planned for September 6″. The New American.

“DNC Dispatch: Occupy Movement Marches in Support of Bradley Manning“. The Dissenter.
“Free Whistleblower Bradley Manning Protest in New York City“. Demotix.com.
Video from Sacramento protest.  Facebook.
 ”Protesters tell Obama to free Bradley Manning”. San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Photos from  Washington D.C. Democratic National Headquarters Bradley Manning Action Sept 6,2012.