Anti-ACTA day: Angry crowds take action (Photos)
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The world has witnessed an unprecedented day of protests against ACTA. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in dozens of cities around the planet to protect what is left of the freedom of expression on the internet. ­Protesters from over 200 European cities consolidated their efforts to hold rallies across Europe. The controversial ACTA treaty was signed by the majority of European countries and now there is a battle to dissuade parliaments from ratifying the settlement. Massive strikes took place in Germany with organizers saying that a total of some a hundred,000 people have gathered in many cities across the country, including Berlin, Hanover, Hamburg, and Cologne. Just the previous day Germany set on hold its signing up for the ACTA treaty after its Justice Ministry decided to wait until the issue is discussed in the European parliament. Demonstrators protest against ACTA on February 11, 2012 in Berlin. (AFP Photo / Soeren Stache Germany Out) Demonstrators protest against ACTA in Paris. In Paris hundreds of masked protesters marched against ACTA, which they say infringes on people’s personal freedoms.­ Up to 8,000 people marched in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, carrying signs carrying such slogans as “ACTA la vista, baby!” ­In Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, despite the freezing cold, hundreds of protesters rallied in front of the government properties. Lithuania is one of the EU countries which signed the ACTA settlement, and the protesters are demanding that the government telephone calls off its ratification. A moderately large protest was staged in Malta’s capital, Valetta, where more than 500 younger people gathered to urge the state’s parliament not to ratify ACTA. About 1,500 people gathered in the capital of Estonia, Tallinn, while several hundred staged a protest in the university metropolis of Tartu. The before mass discontent over ACTA in the streets and on the Internet has already delivered some tangible results. Some EU countries, including Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia and Germany, have decided to halt their signing up for processes until the European parliament reaches an settlement on the issue in June. Last 30 days massive rallies took place in Poland and the Czech Republic, as the countries signed the ACTA settlement. On January 26, the controversial ACTA treaty was signed by the 22 of the 27 European Union member states (excluding Germany, Cyprus, Estonia, the Netherlands and Slovakia), and the EU alone. So much ACTA has been signed by a total of 31 countries across the planet, but none of the signatories have yet ratified it. To occur into force ACTA needs to be ratified by at the very least six countries. ­Insult to democracy Peter Bradwell, a campaigner for the Open Rights Group, believes ACTA is an “ unacceptable insult to democra cy” as the settlement hands too much unchecked power to non-public interests. The system proposed by ACTA allows businesses to have content taken down and to have users put under surveillance by their Internet service suppliers, he said in an interview with RT. It effectively criminalizes “ the wrong people ” and, intentionally or unintentionally, harms freedom of expression. “ You are creating a system that can be abused and where mistakes can happen. Which is why it’s such a dangerous settlement ,” he explains. Watch RT's interview with Peter Bradwell Protestors holding Person Fawkes masks shout slogans during a demonstration against ACTA in central Sofia February 11, 2012. (Reuters / Stoyan Nenov) Protesters take part in a demonstration against ACTA in front of the Government Palace in Vilnius on February 11, 2012. (AFP Photo / Petras Malukas) Demonstrators protest against ACTA in Valetta, Malta. (Graphic from www.timesofmalta.com) Protesters take part in a demonstration against ACTA at the Freedom Square in central Tallinn on February 11, 2012. (AFP photo / Raigo Pajula)