- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Five Years Within Embassy Walls: Assange Gets Meme Treatment

© REUTERS / Peter NichollsWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
June 19 marks five years since WikiLeaks mastermind Julian Assange was granted political asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid arrest and extradition. Despite the seriousness of the case, internet users never stopped joking and creating memes.

​Some see him as Gandalf, one of the protagonists from Tolkien's novels.

​A recent picture of Assange with a mullet hairstyle made people notice Assange's resemblance to Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars and Geralt, the protagonist of a series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski and also a trilogy of popular video games, namely "The Witcher."

And this one is for "I'm Alan Partridge" TV series lovers.

​In February 2016, a UN panel concluded that Assange has been "arbitrarily detained in violation of international law," setting social media ablaze. Some showed their disagreement with the definition through memes.

​I have been #arbitrarilydetained by a cat on the sofa. Please alert the UN with all speed. pic.twitter.com/gOIaqTQedv

In October 2016, when Ecuador cut off Assange's Internet access, shortly after the publication of Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches, netizens couldn't resist tweeting about it.

The investigation against Assange began in Sweden in the summer of 2010 at the request of two women who accused him of rape; the whistleblower denied the allegations. Later, a Swedish law enforcement agency issued a warrant for the arrest of Assange. In 2012, he appealed to the Ecuadorian authorities for political asylum and settled at the Ecuadorian Embassy located in the fashionable district of Knightsbridge in the British capital.

On May 19, Swedish prosecutors confirmed that rape charges against Assange had been dropped following a seven-year investigation, but the UK police said it would still have to arrest Assange if he stepped out of the embassy.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала