Dame Vivienne Westwood slams Good Morning Britain presenters for 'misrepresenting' Julian Assange live on air

"It is not a crime to publish the truth"

Dame Vivienne Westwood confronted Good Morning Britain presenters over their "misrepresentation" of Julian Assange's case.

The fashion designer sat in a birdcage outside the Old Bailey this morning in a stunt to support Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

She used a megaphone to call for Assange's immediate release, insisting: "This is the most important thing in the world."

Dame Vivienne wore a yellow trouser suit for the protest, said to evoke the canary in a cage used to test for poisonous gases in a coal mine as well as be a representation of Assange's plight.

When interviewed by Good Morning Britain (GMB) the fashion designer took issue with Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway's introduction to Assange's case.

Dame Vivienne Westwood protest for Julian Assange at Old Bailey

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"Thank you for joining us," said Mr Shephard, introducing Dame Vivienne via video link from London.

He then added: "So can you explain a bit for us today about what you are doing today and what the stunt is about?"

Dame Vivienne responded: "First of all I just want to say your introduction is exactly the total misrepresentation of Julian Assange that's been going on for all that time.

"None of any of this is actually true. He's been trapped and it's been a collusion of all of the Governments involved - America, Britain and Sweden - and from the very beginning it started with a kind of honey trap.

Dame Vivienne Westwood suspends in bird cage to protest Julian Assange extradition

"It's a set-up organised by the CIA."

Assange is currently being detained at HMP Belmarsh while fighting extradition to the USA.

He is wanted for alleged espionage over the leak of around 250,000 confidential security cables relating to the Iraq and Afghan wars, but insists it is a politically-motivated prosecution of a journalist.

Dame Vivienne, a long-time supporter of Assange, called the case a "stitch-up" and told the crowd this morning: "It's not a crime to tell the truth."

Dame Vivienne wore a yellow suit for her protest in support of Julian Assange
Nigel Howard

"I am the canary in the cage," said Dame Vivienne during her GMB interview. "He has been trapped by a big net, taken out of the sun and shoved in a cage.

"The problem is they want to send him to America for a sentence of 175 years and stick him in a concrete block for a jail.

"This could happen to every journalist. It is not a crime to publish the truth."

The stunt took place in the street outside the Old Bailey, where Assange's case is expected to resume in September.

It has been delayed by four months by the coronavirus pandemic, with three weeks of evidence and legal argument still to be heard.

Assange has missed his last three court appearances, citing ill-health. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser has said he must appear in court on July 27 or produce a doctor's note to explain his absence.