By Shayne Hunter
Sydney Activists will launch a Chelsea Manning float towards the front of world famous Sydney Mardi Gras this Saturday. Chelsea Manning is world famous for releasing the Iraq war logs to the world, revealing how the US military murdered innocent civilians in the Iraq war. The US government imprisoned Manning for whistle blowing. Born Bradley Manning, Chelsea is considered a hero for for exposing corruption and has been embraced by the LGBTQI community for being one of the most important, public and influential transsexual people on the planet.
Sydney-based activist group the Support Assange and WikiLeaks Coalition (SAWC) believes Manning shouldn’t be imprisoned for blowing the whistle on war crimes by the US military. The float aims to raise public awareness of Chelsea Manning and the surrounding issues. Theatrics will be used to communicate the issues to the public. People will dressed as bankers holding chains around Uncle Sam, in order to demonstrate how the banks are believed to have major influence on the US government and its policies.
The parade begins on Saturday March 1st at 7pm. The parade proceeds from Elizabeth St along Oxford St before turning into Flinders Street and finally into the bus lane that runs parallel to Anzac Parade. Good viewing locations include the Albion Street Shell service station, the corner of Short and Flinders Streets, and Taylor Square. Public transport is one of the better options to get to the event.
Featured image: Helen and Ian Rose preparing to protest in support of Manning at Mardi Gras tomorrow. Photo: George Gittoes/Facebook
