Thousands Protest NSA Spying in Berlin
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin, Germany to protest against NSA surveillance activities and fight for their right to privacy.
Demonstrators carried banners which read, “Stop spying on us,” along with the phrases “NSA killed by internet” and “Thanks to PRISM the government finally knows what the people want.” The Saturday's event was organized under the slogan“Freedom Rather Than Fear.”
"Intelligence agencies like the NSA shamelessly spy on telephone conversations and Internet connections worldwide [and] our government, one of whose key roles is the protection from harm, sends off soothing explanations," Kai-Uwe Steffens from the German Working Group on Data Retention said.
The protest was put on by Germany’s Green party, along with the Left and Pirate parties. The event hosts claimed the rally was attended by around 20,000 people. However, police declined to confirm the numbers, only stating that their “tally differs from that of the organizers.”
“The Europeans have been outraged by the amount of their personal details that have not only being obtained through spying scandal, but also just handed over [to the US intelligence] by certain companies,” RT reported.
Documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed close cooperation between the NSA and internet giants such as Facebook and Google.
