A group of about 50 people held a demonstration outside the US Embassy protesting for the freedom of Bradley Manning, in London, UK, on December 17, 2011
Private Bradley Manning, 24, is accused of stealing a huge cache of files from a secret military network in Iraq and passing them to WikiLeaks. He was told at the military equivalent of a pre-trial hearing on Friday (16th December) that he faces a long list of charges including "aiding the enemy", an offence that can lead to life imprisonment without parole.
Today's demonstration at Grosvenor Square on Bradley Manning 24th birthday, was lead by Ciaron O'Reilly with the presence of ex SAS soldier Ben Griffith who now runs Veterans For Peace.
During the 1991 Gulf War, Ciaron O'Reilly a long-time Catholic Worker, nonviolent resister and Christian anarchist was a member of the 'ANZUS Ploughshares' group which attacked a B-52 Bomber at Griffiss AFB near Utica, New York. Their actions put the aircraft out of action for the next two months at the height of the US bombing campaign in Iraq. Together with the other members of the group, he was arrested and sentenced to 13 months in the US penal system.