http://rt.com/usa/nsa-rally-mass-surveillance-786/
#StopWatchingUs rally against mass surveillance: Live Updates
Thousands 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.
18:05 GMT: Former US Department of Justice ethics adviser, Jesselyn Radack, has read a statement from Edward Snowden. “This isn't about red or blue or party lines, and it definitely isn't about terrorism...it's about power, control, and trust in government,” it said. “It's about being able to live in a free and open American society,” the statement continued. “Elections are coming and we are watching you.”Snowden went on to remind the crowd that no phone call in the USA is made without the NSA keeping a record of it. “They're public servants not private investigators,” he added.
17:59 GMT: Whistleblower Thomas Drake is addressing the crowd. "I am fortunate that I did not end up in actual prison," he said. “The last thing a free and open society needs is a digital fence around us.” He called for the restoration of the Fourth Amendment and said that NSA surveillance "engenders fear and erodes our freedom."
17:50 GMT: One speaker addressed the crowd reciting the poem “First they came…” generally attributed to pastor Martin Niemöller.
17:15 GMT: Crowds in Cologne, western Germany, have gathered outside the city's iconic cathedral. The banner asks: "Should we all become a 'Merkel' before our rights are taken seriously?" Allusions to the Stasi ‒ the old East-German secret police ‒ can be seen in the crowd; government surveillance remains a sensitive issue.
17:15 GMT: Crowds in Cologne, western Germany, have gathered outside the city's iconic cathedral. The banner asks: "Should we all become a 'Merkel' before our rights are taken seriously?" Allusions to the Stasi ‒ the old East-German secret police ‒ can be seen in the crowd; government surveillance remains a sensitive issue.
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