A new wave of protests has begun in the United States.
Like those sweeping across the country, this protest centers around a single individual, who supporters claim is mistreated and overlooked by the government.
Its name: “Operation GGO”
Unlike the racial justice protests in the US, Operation “Get Ghislaine Out” has seen little public support, mostly due to the ridiculous nature of its demands.
Operation GGO is a campaign led by supporters of Maxwell seeking to release her from her holding cell pending trial on July 12, 2021.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in July of 2020 on multiple charges related to the sexual abuse of young women and girls by Epstein.
Maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein, and according to several witness testimonies, she participated in the sexual abuse herself.
While Maxwell claims innocence, skeptics of her story point to her long-term relationship with Epstein and the many witness accounts of her involvement as evidence against her.
The Brooklyn facility where Maxwell is being kept is skeptical as well. After Epstein’s suicide last year (a controversial topic, since many argue that Epstein’s death was in fact a murder), Maxwell was placed on suicide watch.
Supporters of Operation GGO point to this in their argument that Maxwell should be released on bail. They claim that her living conditions are sub-standard and she is mistreated regularly by guards and staff.
“Ms. Maxwell continues to be surveilled 24 hours a day by security cameras and is under constant observation by multiple prison guards,” her attorney said in a letter in August.
Brian Basham, a family friend of Maxwell, claims that because the jail labeled her as a danger to herself, Ghislaine is forced to wear paper clothes and is not allowed to wear a bra.
He also claims Maxwell is malnourished, as she is not being given the vegan diet she requested the jail provide for her.
Jonna Spilbor of newsmax.com argues that Maxwell should be released on bail.
“As a lawyer who has analyzed, written extensively about, and provided commentary on a national scale for many a high-profile case — including those with serious sex crime components (Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant, the Duke Lacrosse case, Bill Cosby and most recently, and [sic] Harvey Weinstein) this harsher-than-most handling of Maxwell’s case immediately struck me as beyond odd.”
She goes on to say that,
“Judge Nathan [the NY federal judge who presided over the bail hearing for Ghislaine] appears determined to place spike strips between Maxwell, her ability to prepare a defense, and the duty of her legal team to zealously advocate for her.
We must keep in mind an arrest marks the beginning, not the end in the judicial process.”
Those who oppose the motivations behind Operation GGO argue that Ghislaine Maxwell is a serious flight risk.
According to FBI agents present during her arrest at her New Hampshire ranch, Maxwell attempted to flee authorities. After searching her property, they also found a “cellphone wrapped in tin foil” which they claim was “a seemingly misguided effort to evade detection … by law enforcement.”
It is not yet certain whether Operation GGO will succeed in its effort to free Maxwell.
