Freedom Not Fear 2008/Call for action

Draft! Will be published on 07.07.2008

Call for Action

int. Version

(version may be used as template for national calls, extended by national specific issues and topics)

Protest marches "Freedom not fear - Stop the surveillance mania!"

Civil liberties groups are calling on citizens to join in protest marches against excessive surveillance by businesses and governments. On 11 September 2008 concerned citizens all over Europe will take to the streets, the motto being "Freedom not fear - Stop the surveillance mania!". Marches will take place in Berlin, ...

Surveillance mania is spreading. Governments and businesses register, monitor and control our behaviour ever more thoroughly. No matter what we do, who we phone and talk to, where we go, whom we are friends with, what our interests are, which groups we participate in - "big brother" government and "little brothers" in business know it more and more thoroughly.

With the blanket collection of information on all European airline passengers and the disclosure of Europeans' personal data to the US, even more intrusive surveillance powers are on the insatiable political agenda. Yet the increasing electronic registration and surveillance of the entire population does not make us any safer from crime, costs millions of Euros and puts the privacy of innocent citizens at risk. Under the reign of fear and blind actionism, targeted and sustained security measures fall by the wayside, as well as tackeling peoples' actual daily problems such as unemployment and poverty.

Furthermore, a person who constantly feels watched and under surveillance cannot freely and courageously stand up for their rights and for a fair society. Our society is gradually being transformed into one of uncritical consumers who have "nothing to hide" and give up their freedoms in an attempt to achieve total security. We do not want to live in such a society!

In order to protest against security mania and excessive surveillance we will take to the streets in ... capital cities all over Europe: Berlin, ...

We call on all citizens to join our protests. Politicians are to see that citizens are willing to take to the streets for their liberties. You can find the latest information on the protest marches at our website www.x.org.

Our demands

1. Cutback on surveillance

• abolish the blanket logging of our telecommunications (data retention)
• abolish the blanket collection of our biometric data
• abolish permanent CCTV cameras and automatic detection techniques
• abolish funding for the development of new surveillance techniques
• no blanket registration of all air travellers (PNR data)
• no information exchange with the US and other states lacking effective data protection

2. Evaluation of existing surveillance powers

We call for an independent review of all existing surveillance powers as to their effectiveness and harmful side-effects.

3. Moratorium for new surveillance powers

After the homeland armament of the past few years we demand an immediate hold to new homeland security laws that further restrict civil liberties.

Supporters

• Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung (Germany)
• ...