20,000 March In Berlin As Protests Erupt Against European Surveillance

Over twenty thousand people today marched through the German capital of Berlin protesting against the rise of surveillance legislation in their country and the European Union in recent years. Under the motto “freedom not fear,” 167 organisations, including major trade unions, associations of lawyers, judges, journalists, doctors and civil rights activists, called on the German public to raise their voices against communication data retention legislation, biometric passports, video surveillance and the new German system for internet content filtering based on domain-name system re-direction. Spokespersons from several partner organisations warned against new plans for personal data collection and exchange in the Stockholm programme of the European Union (to be decided upon in December) and against ongoing talks in the same direction with the United States. One activist asked for a ban of the export of surveillance technology to authoritarian countries. In their statements several speakers made reference to the historic experiences German citizens have with regard to a surveillance state – pointing to both the Nazi-Germany and the former Eastern German Socialist governments. “Freedom not fear” protest marches were also reported from Stockholm, Amsterdam and Sophia. In Prague, Milan, Vienna, Helsinki, and Skopje “freedom not fear” activities started today and will span several days, organisers said. In the United Kingdom activists started to paste stickers over video cameras in public places.

Photo of Berlin event here.