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

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 read off the Google map embedded above, maintained by Stopp-ACTA, retrieved Wednesday night/Thursday morning. (Please notify any updates you notice in the comments and to @Stopp_ACTA on Twitter. There is another Google Map listing another maintainer, but the two maps are identical down to having the same mistakes and spelling errors.)