'Freedom Not Fear': Berlin Rallies Against 'Shameless' NSA Spying

Tens of thousands poured into Berlin’s streets over the weekend to protest broad surveillance by the the NSA and other intelligence agencies, under the banner of ‘Freedom Rather Than Fear,’ as new revelations of the broad scope of secret spying continue to set off outrage across the world.

Organizers from opposition Green, The Left, and Pirates parties say 20,000 people joined in the rally that featured signs and banners reading “Stop spying on us” and “Thanks to PRISM (the US government’s vast data collection program) the government finally knows what the people want.”

Protesters demanded action from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration, which is both complicit in, and heavily targeted by, NSA spying.

“Intelligence agencies like the NSA shamelessly spy on telephone conversations and Internet connections worldwide (and) our government, one of whose key roles is the protection from harm, sends off soothing explanations,” speaker Kai-Uwe Steffens told AFP reporters.