London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

‘They have to follow US orders’: Chomsky says ‘subservient’ Britain's involvement in US persecution of Assange is ‘scandalous’

‘They have to follow US orders’: Chomsky says ‘subservient’ Britain's involvement in US persecution of Assange is ‘scandalous’

Philosopher Noam Chomsky has condemned the UK’s part in the United States’ persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, calling it the “ultimate in subservience” and a deliberate attempt at torture.

“The whole effort to punish Assange is grotesque,” said Chomsky during a Declassified UK interview this week, calling Washington’s attempt to extradite the jailed journalist “outrageous.”

Chomsky singled out the UK over its involvement however, declaring, “Britain’s participation in this has been scandalous.”


Assange has been imprisoned at the maximum security prison HMP Belmarsh since being hauled out of London’s Ecuadorian embassy more than two years ago.

Chomsky claimed that Assange’s treatment in the prison “amounts to torture,” and noted that the UN’s rapporteur on torture has already described it as such. The linguist and academic called the WikiLeaks founder’s imprisonment an “effort to destroy him” and argued that “people can’t survive that kind of thing.”

“Britain is doing it because they have to follow US orders. That’s the ultimate in subservience,” Chomsky said. “Even if we have to torture somebody, because you guys want to throw him into prison for life for having informed Americans of what they ought to know in the first place, we’re going to help torture him.”

Assange – an Australian citizen – has been accused of violating the US Espionage Act for leaking classified information and evidence of US war crimes, and if found guilty could be sentenced to 170 years in prison.

Chomsky concluded that though Assange’s imprisonment is “not the worst crime in history” since Britain is responsible for “far more crimes, worse crimes than that,” it’s still “a particularly ugly one” currently being committed.

In January, during an interview with RT, Chomsky said that “just as you can’t get the Republican mobs to admit that the election was lost, you can’t get liberal American intellectuals to recognize that the United States is a leading terrorist state.”

During the same month, a UK judge ruled that Assange could not be extradited to the US due to concerns over his deteriorating mental health and potential treatment in an American maximum-security prison. The US is appealing the decision.

Last year, a group of current and former world leaders called on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to release Assange and refuse the US’ extradition request.

The letter was signed by Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, along with former presidents and prime ministers of multiple other Latin American countries, as well as elected officials from the UK, Australia, Germany, Norway and other European states.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×