Aus Freiheit statt Angst!

Version vom 15:43, 10. Jul. 2008

FEHLER

Draft! Will be published on 11.07.2008

Call for Action

int. Version

This draft is modular and may be used as template for national calls, extended by national specific issues and topics. Also, the subtile may change due to national needs, but please let "Freedom Not Fear 2008".

This draft meets following aspects:

• Surveillance in general
• Public-private partnerships
• Freedom of confession
• Confidential communication of

• prayers/confessors
• doctors/helplines/patients
• lawyers/clients
• journalists/sources

• Effects on civil society organizations
• Aspect of decaying division of powers
• "Fortress Europe" and refugees

• Ban on travel for activists, sport fans etc.
  • Aspect of lack of judicial review

• Effects on free speech
• Effects on political and social participation
• A "System of Mistrust" as reason of state
• Responsible and just society
• Human dignity
• Costs and Effectiveness

Protest marches "Freedom not fear - Stop the surveillance mania!" all over Europe on 11. October 2008

Protest marches "Freedom not fear - Stop the surveillance mania!" all over Europe on 11. October 2008

A broad movement of human rights campaigners and many organizations are calling all people to join in protest activities against excessive surveillance by businesses and governments. On 11 October 2008, concerned people all over Europe will take to the streets, the motto being "Freedom not fear 2008"! Peaceful and creative street actions will take place in many capital cities at the same time.

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 - the unity in security sector of "big brother" government and "little brothers" in business know it more and more thoroughly.

Total surveillance of every communication by data retention and internet filtering endangers the freedom of confession as well as the freedom of speech. The communication of prayers and confessors, doctors, helplines and patients, lawyers and clients, journalists and sources is no longer confidential.

The unbound mass-surveillance endangers the work and engagement of civil society organizations, no matter, if they are engageged in political, ecological, human rights or human aid issues.

Thus, important and fundamental parts of our society are affected.

The manifold agenda of security sector reform also implies a fusion secret services, military forces and police instruments. This often leads to legal black holes, to a dangerous melt-down of the division of powers.

Borderless cooperation of military, secret services, police authorities, guarded by mass databases, electronic and biometric surveillance is leading to a "Fortress Europe", a war against refugees and everything, what looks different or foreign. This often leads to lack of judicial review. Also, political activists and even sports fans are affected with bans on travel.

Furthermore, people who constantly feel watched and under surveillance cannot freely and courageously stand up for their rights and for a just society. The fear, that every aspect of live can be watched and registered leads to an adjustment of behaviour, to a decay of free speech - and though affects political and social participation at our free society.

Total surveillance of the complete society is an expression of mistrust and fear, and thus leads to a society of mistrust, which is not longer free. We do not want to live in such a society!

A free and responsible society needs private and trustworthy communication as well as private spaces.

We therefore demand the respect of privacy as an aspect of human dignity - a human, who is reduced to numbers and statistic values, who is constantly analysed and watched by machines and stateful authorities looses his individual qualities.

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.

In order to protest against security mania and excessive surveillance we call for peaceful and creative prostests on the streets in many capital cities all over Europe.

We call on all people to join our protests. Politicians have to see that the people are willing to take to the streets for their liberties. You can find the latest information on the protest marches and the list of participation cities at our website: http://wiki.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/Freedom_Not_Fear_2008.

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 
   * abolish plans for live-surveillance and filtering of internet communication ("Telecom-Package", ACTA, "three strikes")
   * no online-searches of private computer systems
   * abolish RFID-passports with biometric data

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)
• ODEBI (France)
• HumanRights21 (France)
• E-frontier Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
• ...