Hundreds are marching on the National Mall in Washington, DC to protest covert NSA surveillance operations on the anniversary of the Patriot Act. The organizers are planning to present Congress with a petition which has acquired over 570,000 signatures.
Stop Watching Us is a collective of 100 public advocacy groups, among them the American Civil Liberties Union, Freedom Works, as well as individuals like Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei and Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who worked with Edward Snowden to expose many of the NSA’s surveillance procedures. The rally is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am local time on October 26 – the 12th anniversary of the US Patriot Act.
“First, we are asking for a congressional investigation so we can shed light on exactly what the National Security Agency is doing. Secondly, we ask for reform of federal surveillance law, specifically Section 215 of the Patriot Act, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the state secrets privilege,” Rainey Reitman, EFF activism director and lead organizer for Saturday’s rally told tech news outlet CNET on Friday.
15:42 GMT: According to witness estimates, almost a thousand have already arrived in Washington DC.
15:41 GMT: Some 120 people attended a simultaneous rally taking place in Munich on Saturday, according to an official police statement.
On Wednesday a German government spokesman said that Berlin had information the NSA could have been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, prompting Germany to announce that next week it would be sending senior intelligence chiefs to Washington
15:30 GMT: Participants of the US protests are wielding builboards bearing the “Stop Watching Us” slogan, alongside further statements demanding the cessation of mass NSA spying. One group in attendance has brought along a giant parachute bearing the logo of the collective.
15:20 GMT: Crowds are beginning to gather in Washington DC
Protesters march against mass surveillance...
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