Protesters march in Washington against NSA surveillance
The furore over US government spying programmes drew protesters onto the streets of Washington on Saturday following revelations by former security contractor Edward Snowden
Protesters marched on Capitol Hill in Washington on Saturday to protest against the US government’s online surveillance programmes, whose vast scope was revealed this year by former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.
People carried signs reading: “Stop Mass Spying”, “Thank you, Edward Snowden” and “Unplug Big Brother” as they gathered at the foot of Capitol Hill to demonstrate against the online surveillance by the National Security Agency.
Estimates varied on the size of the march, with organisers saying more than 2,000 attended. US Capitol Police said they do not typically provide estimates on the size of such demonstrations.
“No conservative wants their government collecting information on them and storing it and using it.”
The march attracted protesters from both ends of the political spectrum as liberal privacy advocates walked alongside members of the conservative Tea Party movement in opposition to what they say is unlawful government spying on Americans.
“I consider myself a conservative and no conservative wants their government collecting information on them and storing it and using it,” said Michael Greene, one of the protesters.
“Over the past several months, we have learned so much about the abuses [of privacy] that are going on and the complete lack of oversight and the mass surveillance into every detail of our lives. And we need to tell Congress that they have to act,” said another protester, Jennifer Wynne.
The event was organised by a coalition known as “Stop Watching Us” that consists of some 100 public advocacy groups and companies, including the American Civil Liberties Union, privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation, Occupy Wall Street NYC and the Libertarian Party.
