Submitted by Mike Grenville on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:17

A text petition and the “Chicago” song download have been launched to demonstrate continued public opposition to the extradition of Gary McKinnon, who is facing extradition to the USA and nears the end of legal challenges in the UK courts.

Text GARY to 65000 to join petition

The text petition, spearheaded by Janis Sharp, Gary’s mum, and key supporters, urges voters to text “Gary” to 65000, by way of demonstrating their support. Text messages will be charged at normal network rates. Evidence of petitioner numbers will be sent on a regular basis to the Home Secretary, as well as to the Conservative & Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretaries in this, an election year.

The ambition is two-fold, first to give voters an opportunity to directly manifest their frustration at a lack of protection for vulnerable UK citizens such as Gary, and second to encourage the main political parties to reform our imbalanced extradition arrangements as part of their manifesto pledges.

Meanwhile via a Facebook and Twitter campaign, Janis is asking Gary’s supporters to download the song “Chicago” recorded last year, with and for, Gary, by international musicians David Gilmour, Bob Geldof and Chrissie Hynde. The song Chicago is available to download on ITunes http://bit.ly/91zDBd, Amazon http://bit.ly/7Qwb7pand HMV http://bit.ly/8GUepd priced from 69p - 99p at time of writing.

“The support and compassion shown by members of the public has been a tremendous boost during our 8 year fight to ensure Gary faces justice in the UK" said Janis. “I hope this text campaign helps stir the Government from its stupor of inactivity which is simply fuelling the public’s sense of outrage at the unnecessary cruelty of the situation."

“Gordon Brown wrung his hands over the execution of a mentally ill British drugs carrier in China. Yet he and his government remain complicit in the US authorities’ hounding of my vulnerable son, despite knowing that, for Gary, extradition amounts to nothing less than a death sentence, given his growing mental instability.

“Why can’t the UK just ask our supposedly strongest ally, President Obama, to show clemency towards Gary by cancelling the extradition request and allowing a UK prosecution?

“As for the music campaign, I hope President Obama will listen to the reworded version of “Chicago” which is a direct plea to him. If he personally learns of Gary’s plight perhaps he may show compassion of his own accord, and allow my son to be tried in Britain.”

Last month, Gary’s legal team filed an application for judicial review of the Home Secretary’s most recent decision not to halt extradition despite overwhelmingly compelling evidence of Gary’s mental deterioration, and expert warnings of the onset of psychosis and probable suicide that his extradition would trigger. The courts are still considering this Judicial Review application.

More on the campiagn here: freegary.org.uk