Civil liberties activists demonstrated across the United States on July 4, 2013 in opposition to broad National Security Agency spying. Edward Snowden is being scapegoated for the revelations., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Americans rally to protest NSA spying programs
Presstv.ir
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in nearly 100 cities across the US to protest against the government’s surveillance programs recently disclosed by fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.
In early June, he revealed to the Britain’s Guardian that the NSA, the US largest intelligence organization, collects data of phone records and internet communication of all Americans.
30-year-old Snowden, a former contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), has holed up in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport since arriving on a flight from Hong Kong on June 23. He is wanted in the U.S. on espionage charges.
On Thursday, a national holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Independence Day in the US, demonstrations were held in New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles and many other cities.
Protesters also gathered near the NSA’s $1.5 billion data center in Utah. The facility is due to open later in the year.
"Legalize the U.S. Constitution" and "I refuse to sacrifice my liberty for security," protesters in San Francisco said.
The protest action called “Restore the Fourth” says the government’s spying on American citizens is in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution which protects Americans from unlawful search and seizure.
“Our demands are very simple: We think these programs which violate the constitutional rights of Americans need to end,” said Ben Doernberg, an organizer of the New York City protest.
US officials, including President Barack Obama, have defended the surveillance programs.
No comments:
Post a Comment