Michael Moore donates $20,000 to the Julian Assange bail fund

Filmmaker Michael Moore has donated $20,000 to help WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange make bail, as the whistleblower fights allegations of rape and molestation.

Assange, founder of the controversial Wikileaks website has leaked secret US documents, has surrendered himself to Scotland Yard authorities last week to answer a Swedish arrest warrant on one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape, allegedly commited in August 2010.

He has denied the allegations.

On Tuesday 14 December, Assange won a bail request after agreeing to post $378,480 (£240,000) with the help of Moore, a supporter of Assange's efforts to publicise secret government documents.

In an online statement, Moore reveals he's paid $20,000 (£13,330) to help Assange make bail, in an effort to keep WikiLeaks "alive and thriving as it continues its work to expose the crimes that were concocted in secret and carried out in our name and with our tax dollars".

Moore added in a post on his blog on Tuesday:  "For those of you who think it's wrong to support Julian Assange because of the sexual assault allegations he's being held for, all I ask is that you not be naive about how the government works when it decides to go after its prey.

Please - never, ever believe the 'official story.'"

Assange is still in custody after Swedish prosecutors challenged the bail approval.