During a World Press Freedom Day event, protesters took the opportunity to call for the release of jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, causing a disruption while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was being interviewed by journalist David Ignatius of the Washington Post. Among the protesters was Medea Benjamin of CodePink who hooked her leg around Blinken’s chair in an attempt to make it more difficult for security to remove her from the stage. Despite the disruption, Blinken remained calm throughout the protest, even asking security to be gentle with Benjamin. Another protester in the audience raised the issue of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian journalist allegedly killed by Israeli forces in May of last year, raising concerns that the US’s support for Israel may have implications in her death. Julian Assange, on the other hand, is currently incarcerated in the UK and fighting extradition requests by the US, facing charges of espionage for publishing thousands of classified military documents leaked to him in 2010 and 2011. Assange’s supporters claim he is being persecuted for carrying out journalism.
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