Saturday, We Demand Our Freedom Of Speech And Rejection Of ACTA. We Can Win This.

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Activism

Activism

This Saturday, on June 9, Europeans take to the streets again to drive a clear message home – telling the European Parliament to reject ACTA once and for all. The Internet has not forgotten, despite what lobbyists and corporate shills are hoping for. The Internet does not forget when corporations are trying to take away our freedom of speech.

As the citizens – the voters – we, the people – took to the streets this February and derailed the plans of just steamrolling ACTA into legislation, the politicians didn’t know what to do. The map of rallies back then, with February 11 as main rally day, was like nothing I’d seen. Nor, apparently, had the politicians and lobbies.

The corporate lobbies thought they could just get this passed uncontroversially, and it’s up to us to illustrate the controversy inherent in this abomination called ACTA, illustrate it to send the politicians a very clear message:

Selling our freedom of speech to a corporate bidder will always be controversial, and will risk costing you the thing you love most – your re-election.

Here’s Saturday’s rally map (all the rallies on the map are listed in text at the end of this article). I will be attending the Stockholm, Sweden rally. Which one is closest to you?

Make no mistake about it – this kind of continent-wide protest is felt deep into the halls of the European Parliament. This is an unmistakable rumbling earthquake that you notice as you stand still and listen for decision input. Frankly, this scares lobbyists. Also, it scares some politicians who thought corporations put them in office, and not voters. And it damn well should. Let’s send that message home this Saturday. All of us.

We demand our freedom of speech. We demand that corporations and lobbies do not get to determine what our net can be used for and not. We demand that politicians respect our fundamental rights and the net, or we’ll kick them out of office come re-election.

While the past votes in the European Parliament have gone our way, it is only due to us keeping up the pressure, and the margins have been slim. We need to show the world that we won’t give up the net and freedoms of speech without a fight.

Saturday, we win. Let’s make sure that this message echoes around the world: We will not be silenced!

List of rallies across Europe, per country

AUSTRIA

• Graz, Mariahilferplatz, 13:00: Facebook event
• Linz, 11:00, a rally bus from Postbusterminal to Hauptbahnhof, 15 EUR admission, see the Facebook event for details
• Wien, Europaplatz/Christian-Broda-Platz, 14:00: Facebook event

BELGIUM

• Brussels, Place de l’Albertine, 14:30: Facebook event

BULGARIA

• Płowdiw, Пловдив площад Централен, 12:00: Facebook event
• Sofia, Пилоните на НДК – София, 12:00: Facebook event

CROATIA

• Rijeka, Ispred Konta (Titov trg), 16:00: Facebook event

CZECH REPUBLIC

• České Budějovice, Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II, 14:00: Facebook event
• Praha, Klárov, 15:00: Facebook event

DENMARK

• Aalborg, J. F. Kennedys Plads, 15:00: Facebook event
• Aarhus, Mølleparken, 15:00: Facebook event
• København, Christiansborg Slotsplads, 15:00: Facebook event
• Middelfart, Tæt på “Rock Under Broen”, 09:00: Facebook event
• Nykøbing Falster, Torvet, 15:00: Facebook event

ESTONIA

• Tartu, see Facebook event for location, 13:00: Facebook event

FINLAND

• Helsinki, Asema-Aukio, 14:00: Facebook event
• Jyväskylä, Kompassilla, 14:00: Facebook event
• Lahti, Lahden kaupungitalo, 14:00: Facebook event

FRANCE

• Bordeaux, Place de la Victoire, 14:30 or 15:00: Facebook event
• Brest, Place de la Liberté, 14:00: Facebook event
• Clermont-Ferrand, Place de Jaude, Statue desaix, 14:00: Facebook event
• Dijon, Place de la Libération, 14:00: Facebook event
• Grenoble, La Gare, 14:00: Facebook event
• Lille, Porte de Paris, 14:00: Facebook event
• Lyon, Place des Terreaux, 14:00: Facebook event
• Marseille, Vieux Port, 14:00: Facebook event
• Metz, (data missing)
• Montpellier, Place de la Comédie, 14:00: Facebook event
• Nantes, Place du Commerce, 14:00: Facebook event
• Nice, Place Massena, 13:30: Facebook event
• Nîmes, (public Facebook event broken – details missing)
• Paris, Place d’Italie, 13:30: Facebook event
• Pau, Place Clementceau, 14:00: Facebook event
• Quimper, Place Terre au Duc Quimper, 11:00: Facebook event
• Rennes, (gathering to join the Paris rally), Facebook event
• Rouen, Place de la Cathédrale, 14:30: Facebook event
• Saint-Malo, see Facebook event for details, 14:00: Facebook event
• Strasbourg, Place Kléber, 14:00: Facebook event
• Toulouse, Place Arnaud Bernard, 14:00: Facebook event

GERMANY

• Aalen, Info booth from 0900, then taking the 13:35 train to the 15:00 Stuttgart rally: Facebook event
• Augsburg, Rathausplatz, 14:00: Facebook event
• Aurich, Auricher Rathaus, 12:00: Facebook event
• Bamberg, (Facebook event broken – details unknown)
• Berlin, Oberbaumbrücke, 12:00: Facebook event
• Bonn, Kaiserplatz, 13:00: Facebook event
• Braunschweig, Schlossplatz, 13:00: Facebook event
• Bremen, Hauptbahnhof, 14:00: Facebook event
• Bremerhaven, Hauptbahnhof, 14:00: Facebook event
• Chemnitz, Marktplatz, 15:00: Facebook event
• Dresden, Albertplatz, 13:30: Facebook event
• Erfurt, Hauptbahnhof, 14:00: Facebook event
• Essen, (data missing)
• Flensburg, Hafenspitze, 16:00: Facebook event
• Frankfurt am Main, Kaisersack am Hauptbahnhof, 14:30: Facebook event
• Freiburg, Kartoffelmarkt, 15:00: Facebook event
• Greifswald, Fischmarkt, 14:00: Facebook event
• Hamburg, Rathaus, 14:00: Facebook event
• Hannover, Klagesmarkt, 15:00: Facebook event
• Hof, Am Strauß, 15:00: Facebook event
• Heidelberg, Marktplatz, 17:00: Facebook event
• Kempten, Forum Allgäu, 13:30: Facebook event
• Karlsruhe, Marktplatz, 14:00: Facebook event
• Kassel, Holländischer Platz, 15:00: Facebook event
• Köln, Bahnhofsvorplatz, 14:00: Facebook event
• Leer, Mühlenplatz, 13:00: Facebook event
• Mannheim, see Facebook for location, 14:00: Facebook event
• München, Karlsplatz/Stachus, 13:00: Facebook event
• Münster, Servatiiplatz, 13:30: Facebook event
• Neubrandenburg, Marktplatz Martstraße, 14:00: Facebook event
• Nürnberg, see Facebook event for location & route, 15:00: Facebook event
• Oldenburg, Bahnhofsplatz, 14:00: Facebook event
• Ravensburg, Marienplatz Lederhaus, 15:00: Facebook event
• Regensburg, Am Schwammerl im Park beim Busbahnhof Albertstraße, 14:00: Facebook event
• Rostock, Universitätsplatz, 14:00: Facebook event
• Saarbrücken, Schlossplatz, 15:00: Facebook event
• Schwerin, Hauptbahnhof, 14:45: Facebook event
• Stuttgart, Kleiner Schloßplatz, 15:00: Facebook event
• Trier, Porta Nigra Platz, 13:00: Facebook event
• Ulm, Münsterplatz, 15:00: Facebook event
• Würzburg, Hauptbahnhof, 15:00: Facebook event

GREECE

• Athens, Πλατεία Συντάγματος, 19:00: More info
• Thessaloniki, Λευκό Πύργο, 19:00: More info

HUNGARY

• Budapest, Lövőház utca, 17:00: Facebook event
• Pécs, Búza tér (Vasarely tér), 17:00: Facebook event

IRELAND

• (No rallies in this list. Please supply Ireland’s list of rallies in the comments, and I’ll update here.)

ITALY

• (No rallies in this list. Please supply Italy’s list of rallies in the comments, and I’ll update here.)

LATVIA

• Riga, Vērmanes Dārzs, 13:00: Facebook event

LITHUANIA

• Vilnius, (data missing)

LUXEMBOURG

• Luxembourg, Gare Centrale du Luxembourg, 14:00: Facebook event

NETHERLANDS

• Rotterdam, Beursplein, 13:00: Facebook event

POLAND

• Gdańsk, see Facebook event for place and time
• Kraków, Bunkier Cafe, 15:00: Facebook event
• Poznan, Stary Rynek, 17:00: Facebook event
• Toruń, Pomnik Mikołaja Kopernika, 17:30: Facebook event
• Szczecin, see Facebook event for place and time
• Warsaw, see Facebook event for place and time
• Wrocław, see Facebook event for place and time

PORTUGAL

• Coimbra, Praça da República, 15:00: Facebook event
• Lisboa, Café A Brasileira, 15:00: Facebook event

ROMANIA

• Arad, see Facebook event for location, 18:00: Facebook event
• Bucarest, Piata Universitatii, 18:00: Facebook event
• Cluj Napoca, Piata Unirii, 18:00: Facebook event
• Constanta, see Facebook event for location, 18:00: Facebook event
• Timisoara, Orasul, 18:00: Facebook event

SERBIA

• Beograd, Trg Republike, 18:00: Facebook event

SLOVAKIA

• Banská Bystrica, Muzeum SNP – park pod Muzeom, 13:00: Facebook event
• Bratislava, Námestie SNP, 15:00: Facebook event

SPAIN

• (No rallies in this list. Please supply Spain’s list of rallies in the comments, and I’ll update here.)

SWEDEN

• Göteborg, Götaplatsen, 14:00: Facebook event
• Stockholm, Sergels Torg, 14:00: Facebook event

SWITZERLAND

• Basel, (link to facebook event in public list is broken – please update in comments)

UNITED KINGDOM

• Birmingham, Victoria Square, 12:00: Facebook event
• Bournemouth, (public event broken – details missing)
• Bristol, (public event broken – details missing)
• Cardiff, Cathays Park, 12:00: Facebook event
• Chelmsford, see Facebook event for location, 12:00: Facebook event
• Glasgow, City Chambers, 13:30: Facebook event
• Liverpool, (public event broken – details missing)
• London, Europe House, 12:00: Facebook event
• Manchester, Picadilly Gardens, 12:00: Facebook event

Map credits: The events were initially read off the Google map maintained by Stopp-ACTA, retrieved Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Later, I changed the embedded map to this one maintained by NURPA, which appears to be the current master copy.

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About The Author: Rick Falkvinge

Rick is the founder of the first Pirate Party and is a political evangelist, traveling around Europe and the world to talk and write about ideas of a sensible information policy. He has a tech entrepreneur background and loves whisky.

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