SUPPORTERS of Julian Assange packed into a London court today as the WikiLeaks founder faced his first hearing into attempts by the United States government to extradite him.

Mr Assange did not attend the hearing in Westminster Magistrates Court, but appeared via a video link from Belmarsh Prison, where he is incarcerated for breaching his bail conditions when he was given refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London almost seven years ago.

He was removed from the embassy after a series of disputes with the Ecuadorian government of Lenin Moreno, who replaced Rafael Correa as president in 2017, and was arrested.

During the hearing Mr Assange formally refused to consent to being extradited.

The 47-year-old said: “I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected many people.”

The hearing lasted a little over 10 minutes and a large group of his supporters gathered both inside and outside the court building to offer solidarity.