Bitrabo Editorial
An unidentified donor from the Bitcoin community has sent 8 BTC, equivalent to about $500,000, to support the traveling expenses of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This financial aid facilitated Assange’s trip back via a chartered flight, necessary due to his inability to travel by commercial airlines.
Stella Assange, his wife, mentioned that the Australian government managed the logistics of this expensive journey, amounting to $520,000—a debt now owed by Assange. The origin of this significant BTC donation has spurred speculation among cryptocurrency enthusiasts and observers.
Unmasking the Enigmatic Bitcoin Benefactor
Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer and controversial figure on social media, emerged as a potential donor. Tate’s involvement was hinted at with his cryptic response—a gift box emoji—in response to a post about the donation on social media platform X.
He had previously expressed joy at Assange’s release, stating, “Assange being free adds a burst of color to the grey hellscape of injustice currently plaguing the world. A stroke of bright blue sky. Maybe, everything will turn around.” However, the community remains doubtful about Tate’s actual participation, urging him to validate his claim by signing a message with the private key linked to the donation address.
Adding another element to the unfolding puzzle, crypto researcher Iwan Rabbinstein suggested that Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s founder and Block, Inc.’s CEO, could be the secretive benefactor behind the scenes. Rabbinstein’s assertion is backed by a thorough examination of social media posts and blockchain transaction timestamps.
He noted that Dorsey’s message of “safe passage through” for Assange coincided with the blockchain timestamp of the 8.07173122 BTC transaction at 5:03 pm GMT-4. Rabbinstein added, “Also, Jack posted ‘safe passage through’ on NOSTR at 16:46. He then waited till the transaction was confirmed on the Bitcoin timechain and posted ‘safe passage through’ on Twitter at 17:03.”
Dorsey is renowned for his advocacy of human rights and history of supporting political causes through technological avenues, making him a credible candidate for the donation.
The substantial donation to Assange has not only triggered discussions about the donor’s identity but also underscored the strong support Assange has gained within the Bitcoin community. Since WikiLeaks began accepting Bitcoin donations in 2011, Assange has been a vocal advocate of the cryptocurrency, seeing its potential beyond just payment systems.
In a 2014 interview, Assange hailed Bitcoin as “the most interesting thing on the internet,” foreseeing its diverse potential applications. This incident mirrors the broader narrative of BTC as a tool for political and social empowerment.
WikiLeaks’ early adoption of Bitcoin was pivotal when mainstream financial institutions declined to process donations to the organization due to its controversial activities. The Bitcoin community’s unity to assist Assange highlights a shared ideological alignment on the principles of information freedom and opposition to censorship.
At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $60,820.
