Britain wears backlash from unlikely 'club of the persecuted': Assange, a self-styled crusader for freedom, who delights in irritating the US, the rich and the powerful, claimed to be ''on a quest for revolutionary ideas that can change the world tomorrow''. The two laughed as they congratulated each other on their pariah status. Last week, however, the mutual appreciation morphed into something more significant, when Correa's government announced its decision to grant Assange asylum.
The authorities in Quito had been weighing up since June how to deal with their London lodger. Should they risk infuriating Britain, which under international law is compelled to extradite Assange to Sweden? Or should they seize the opportunity to rile ''arrogant'' Britain and, by association, their nemesis the US? The temptation was too great.
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