Julian Assange Opens for M.I.A. in New York via Skype

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange participated in M.I.A.‘s launch of her ‘Matangi Tour’ on Friday night. The activist opened the show with a 10-minute chat over Skype, addressing the crowd at New York City’s Terminal 5 from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he is currently living in exile.

“It’s a great pleasure to speak to MIA and our fans,” he told the crowd. “I have become a fan of MIA because I think she is the most courageous woman working in western music, without exception.”

He also addressed one of the most discussed subjects in world media today — press freedom and privacy in the wake of the NSA.

“American journalists that are actually trying to do something really pretty significant – namely, stop the United States and other countries along with it turning into a military dictatorship slowly, inevitable, inexorably – they’re in exile now,” he said. “They’ve been pushed off to the four corners of the earth.”

Watch the intro sequence above and don’t forget to stream her new album Matangi here and participate in our exclusive M.I.A. flyaway where you have the chance to see her concert in Los Angeles on November 11.