2013-05-31 June 1: Mass Protest for Bradley Manning at Ft Meade MD

Bradley Manning Support Network
www.bradleymanning.org

ADVISORY FOR: May 31, 2013

Contact: Nathan Fuller, 516-578-2628
press@bradleymanning.org

March: 2 PM, Reece Rd. and US 175, Ft. Meade, MD
Rally: featured speakers will talk at 3 PM, at Llewellyn Ave. and US 175

A thousand supporters of Army whistleblower PFC Bradley Manning will come from around the country for a mass demonstration on Saturday, June 1 ( http://www.bradleymanning.org/featured/rally-for-bradley-manning-at-fort... ) at Ft. Meade, MD. They will use marching, music, creative visuals and other actions to protest against his imprisonment, two days before his court martial is set to begin, on June 3, 2013.

Speakers for the rally will include Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower; Ethan McCord, the soldier who saved the children attacked in the Collateral Murder video released by WikiLeaks; Col. Ann Wright (ret.), the most senior State Department official to resign in protest of the Iraq war; Sarah Shourd, hiker imprisoned by Iran turned prisoner rights activists; and Lt. Dan Choi, prominent anti-Don't Ask Don't Tell activist.

In support of Bradley Manning's third consecutive Nobel Peace Prize nomination, the crowd will hang hundreds of handmade peace medals on the gates of Ft. Meade, each one representing 300 people who've signed a petition in support of him receiving the honor.

Buses will be coming to the event ( http://www.bradleymanning.org/featured/reserve-your-seat-today-buses-fro... )from Syracuse, NY, New York City, Philadelphia, Willimantic, CT, New Brunswick, NJ, Baltimore and Washington D.C. and more supporters will be joining them from across the country and the world. More than 1,400 people have signed on to attend at the event's Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/events/500009146729079/ ). Additionally, at least 35 solidarity actions ( http://www.bradleymanning.org/featured/week-of-action-for-bradley-june-1-8 ) are planned around the country and around the world.

On Sunday, June 2 at 5 PM ET, supporters will attend a panel discussion ( http://www.bradleymanning.org/featured/manning-and-the-media-panel-discu... ) with Daniel Ellsberg, former State Dept senior official Peter Van Buren, WikiLeaks attorney Michael Ratner and whistleblower Jesselyn Radack at All Soul's Church in Washington DC. Bradley's court martial will begin the following day, June 3, at Ft. Meade.

Bradley Manning is charged for indirectly "aiding the enemy" for passing documents to WikiLeaks, and could face life in prison without parole. Manning exposed the true number of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S.-supported torture in Iraq, and a pattern of corporate influence on U.S. foreign policy worldwide. By the time Manning's trial begins on Monday, he will have been in prison for more than three years since his arrest in May 2010.

The Bradley Manning Support Network funds 100% of PFC Manning's legal fees and educates the public about his case.

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