How the world has changed in the seven years Julian Assange was holed up

It is almost seven years since Julian Assange and his cat walked into Ecuador’s embassy in London seeking asylum.

A lot has changed since then.

The Wikileaks founder took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid being forced to go to Sweden over a sexual assault case.

He feared it would lead to him being extradited to the US due to his involvement in leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive government documents.

He didn’t leave the embassy once until Thursday when Ecuador removed his asylum after repeated violations of international conventions.

Prince Harry was still a single man in 2012 and he was just finishing his career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. (AP)
Prince Harry was still a single man in 2012 and he was just finishing his career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. (AP)

When Assange stepped foot in the building June 2012 there was a different Pope, a different Archbishop of Canterbury, and Prince Harry was a single man.

Seven years of politics

At the time Barack Obama and David Cameron were both in their respective first terms as US President and Prime Minister.

Barack Obama and David Cameron were both still in their first terms in office in 2012. (AP)
Barack Obama and David Cameron were both still in their first terms in office in 2012. (AP)

Nelson Mandela, Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, Joan Rivers, Neil Armstrong, David Bowie, and Gene Wilder were all still alive.

Robin Willaims died in 2014, and Alan Rickman and David Bowie both passed away in 2016. (PA)
Robin Willaims died in 2014, and Alan Rickman and David Bowie both passed away in 2016. (PA)

Saying the word ‘Brexit’ to someone on the street would leave them wondering what you were on about.

If you were discussing freeing yourself from an out of touch political elite you would be thinking more about the push for Scottish independence, rather than the UK’s exit from the EU.

Alex Salmond was still Scotland’s First Minister in 2012 and he was fighting with Westminster to secure an independence referendum.
Alex Salmond was still Scotland’s First Minister in 2012 and he was fighting with Westminster to secure an independence referendum.

First Minister Alex Salmond was leading the Scottish National Party’s attempts to get a referendum at the time but now he works for Russia Today, the Russian state broadcaster.

Perhaps the most explosive political story we could look forward to was Tory MP Andrew Mitchell allegedly calling a police officer a “pleb”.

June of that year was also the month Vladimir Putin became president of Russia again, after serving four years as prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev.

Vladimir Putin took over as president of Russia from Dmitry Medvedev in 2012 after serving four years as Prime Minister. (AP)
Vladimir Putin took over as president of Russia from Dmitry Medvedev in 2012 after serving four years as Prime Minister. (AP)

Angela Merkel was only halfway through her tenure as Chancellor of Germany and at the height of her popularity.

Back then no one took Donald Trump seriously when he said during the 2012 United States general election: “I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and, ultimately, the general election.”

Donald Trump backed former Massachusetts Govoner Mitt Romney in the 2012 US General Election. (AP)
Donald Trump backed former Massachusetts Govoner Mitt Romney in the 2012 US General Election. (AP)

Changing tech

When Assange first entered the Ecuadorian embassy, computers were only running Windows 7, and during his time holed up there, there have been 16 types of iPhones.

Uber had not yet launched in London, and Deliveroo did not exist. This was a pre-Tinder era, where people met each other in bars, clubs or even through friends.

Gary Barlow was at the height of his success in 2012. (AP)
Gary Barlow was at the height of his success in 2012. (AP)

Pop culture in 2012

Netflix had only just arrived in the UK, the first Avengers film had only just been released, no one really thought there would be more films in the magical Harry Potter universe.

The charts saw Cheryl Cole, Coldplay, and Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band all in the top five.

Cheryl Cole in 2012. (AP)
Cheryl Cole in 2012. (AP)

Since then, a judge ruled that Gary Barlow had been engaging in tax avoidance schemes, Cheryl Cole has married, divorced and had a child with One Direction star, Liam Payne, while Coldplay have gone on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide.