The Enemy Within America

Antiwar activists rally around soldier suspected of leaking classified material to WikiLeaks

Published August 19, 2010
Associated Press

　

The Army private suspected in one of the largest unauthorized disclosures of classified information in U.S. history has become a hero to many anti-war activists who have joined an international effort to free him.
At demonstrations this month in New York, Oklahoma City and Quantico, Va., where Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is being held, dozens of supporters have shouted that "Blowing the whistle on war crimes is not a crime."
The same slogan appears beside Manning's smiling face on buttons and posters offered by Courage to Resist, an Oakland, Calif.-based support group for U.S. troops who refuse to fight. The group has raised about $45,000 from nearly 750 people in 18 countries to help pay for a civilian defense lawyer for Manning, project director Jeff Paterson said.
"I think we have an imperative to support those people who've seen the horrors of battle and want to share that reality with the American people," Paterson said.
Manning, 22, a former intelligence analyst in Baghdad, faces possible court-martial on charges that he illegally downloaded classified material. If tried and convicted, he could be sentenced to 52 years in prison.