Berkeley California to honor Bradley Manning as ‘hero’ with new resolution
The city of Berkeley is considering a resolution to declare alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning a hero.
According to a resolution being considered for vote, the imprisoned Army private suspected of providing WikiLeaks with its most significant U.S. releases should be released from prison and praised for his “courage in bringing truth to the American people and the people of the world.”
“If he did what he’s accused of doing, he’s a patriot and should get a medal,” Bob Meola, author of the resolution told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I think the war criminals should be the ones prosecuted, not the whistle-blowers.”
Meola is a member of the city’s Peace and Justice Commission, which advises the city council and school board on peace and social justice issues. The commission passed the resolution by a vote of 7-3. It will be up for a City Council vote on Dec. 14.
Meola, a member of the national committee for the War Resisters League, is a long-time anti-war activist. A profile of him at the WRL website describes him as a “Gandhian pacifist” with a law degree who “realized he was an anarchist when he realized his communist comrades had forgotten about Marx’s withering away of the state.”
Peace and Justice commissioner Jane Litman, abstained from voting on Meola’s resolution. “I don’t think we should call him a hero for something he hasn’t even said he’s done,” she told the Chronicle.
