WikiLeaks founder and Australian whistleblower Julian Assange has exposed the crimes of the US and other Western nations and now a crime has been committed against him by his arrest, says veteran British politician and broadcaster George Galloway.

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“I’m very shocked...Julian Assange is a friend of mine, more importantly, a friend of truth, a friend of the people,” Galloway told Russia’s RT news organization.

“He exposed great, great crimes and now another great crime has been committed against him,” Galloway added.

He said the US is “increasingly, belligerently and aggressively confronting people and states around the world - this is another big aggression.”

Assange took refuge in Ecuador’s embassy in London in 2012 after facing a warrant for arrest following allegations of sexual assault and rape from the Swedish government.

He has denied the allegations, and the investigation was closed last year.

WikiLeaks said the Australian computer programmer is wanted by the US government for publishing classified documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that were leaked by American whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

George Galloway

Galloway said Assange’s arrest was a big crime against someone who had always exposed big crimes through his website WikiLeaks.

“I’m very shocked...Julian Assange is a friend of mine, more importantly, a friend of truth, a friend of the people. He exposed great, great crimes and now another great crime has been committed against him,” he said, adding, “Shame on the Ecuadorian government, shame on the British government and shame on those that let this happen.”

Assange’s mother also reacted furiously to the arrest, calling Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno a “dirty, deceitful, rotten traitor” who allowed the UK to nab his son after withdrawing his asylum status in the embassy.

“May the face of my suffering son haunt your sleepless nights. And may your soul writhe forever in torturous Purgatory as you have tortured my beloved son,” said Christine Assange on Twitter.

File photo shows Christine Assange, mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holding a picture of her son. (Photo by Reuters)

Pamela Anderson, a famous Canadian-American actress who had in the past praised Assange for his bravery, said the arrest of the activist was a diversion from UK government’s own problems in leaving the European Union. She also said the move showed how much London was dependent on the US.