LONDON – Wikileaks founder Julian Assange portrayed himself Sunday as a victim of an American “witch hunt” over his secret-spilling website in a defiant address from the balcony of an embassy where he has holed up to avoid extradition to face sex assault allegations.

Surrounded by British police who want to detain him, Assange made no mention of the sex assault case in Sweden or how long he would remain in Ecuador’s embassy in London, where he took refuge two months ago. Instead he shifted focus to the U.S., accusing the government of targeting him for revealing a trove of American diplomatic and military secrets.

“I ask President Obama to do the right thing. The United States must renounce its witch hunt against WikiLeaks,” Assange said, wearing a formal blue shirt and red tie in front of the Ecuadorean flag.