Pirate Bay crew at Freedom not Fear demo in Berlin
Posted on | September 12, 2009 | 5 Comments
Like last year, the Freedom not Fear (Freiheit statt Angst) demonstration in Berlin attracted thousands of people (25,000 according to a press release found at Netzpolitik). Peter Sunde of The Pirate Bay was there, as well as Pirate Party supporter Oscar Swartz, and Claudia Roth of the German Green Party.
A few rainbow flags could be seen in the crowd. I think the gay movement in general has missed that the privacy issues that the Pirate Parties have put on the agenda are very relevant to gay people. For example, when the Berlin gay guide Siegessäule interviewed politicians about gay issues, the focus was mostly marriage and adoption - the traditional gay issues. But those fights are won; today politicians compete in offering gay people human rights. It’s time to look upon gay politics from another angle. If gay people knew their history, they would worry about excessive surveillance laws, since gays and just about anyone with a different lifestyle are common targets in a society that aims to control its citizens. Surveillance laws will be misused, period.
Peter Sunde and Oscar Swartz.
Pirate Party partying.
Claudia Roth.
Thilo Weichert speaks.
Tags: Berlin > Freedom not Fear > Freiheit statt Angst > Oscar Swartz > Peter Sunde > Pirate Bay > Pirate Party > Piratenpartei > Piratpartiet > The Pirate Bay
Schäuble-remix: Freiheit mit Vernunft!
Posted on | August 18, 2009 | 4 Comments
The German blog Netzpolitik.org challenged its readers to satirize the German party CDU’s election campaign, more specifically the ad with interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble, an avid advocate of excessive surveillance laws.
The original says: “Wir haben die Kraft für SICHERHEIT UND FREIHEIT”. (We have the power for security and freedom.)
CDU also has an ad with industry minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, saying “WIRTSCHAFT MIT VERNUNFT”.
My take on the campaign is a remix between the two: “FREIHEIT MIT VERNUNFT”.
I like it because despite it’s an extreme statement, it doesn’t sound too implausible. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if CDU decided to copy me right away!
Tags: CDU > Freiheit mit Vernunft > Freiheit statt Angst > German politics > Überwachungswahn > Wahlkampf > Wolfgang Schäuble
