Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 supporters of civil liberties join a protest at the office of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar under the slogan, “Say no to NSA surveillance.” The protest was organized by Anti-War Committee and the MN Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and had the backing of the Twin Cites peace and justice community.

It has recently been exposed that the majority, if not all, of U.S. telephone calls are monitored by the NSA (National Security Agency) and have been for seven years. Also, the U.S. government is monitoring emails through a secret NSA program called PRISM. Edward Snowden is the whistleblower who made these revelations possible.

Misty Rowan of the Anti-War Committee told the crowd, “Edward Snowden is a hero for risking his life to shed light on this total surveillance state and sparking this conversation. We should thank him, right after we hold some people in Congress responsible for their actions and their compliance – people like Senator Klobuchar who is on the Senate Judiciary committee but doesn't think we should have been told any of this!”

Both Minnesota Senators, Klobuchar and Al Franken, have told the press that they knew of the NSA surveillance, yet aren’t concerned.

Mick Kelly, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression said, “All of us should be inspired by the courage and determination of Edward Snowden. He is an example to all of us. The U.S. government is beset by resistance at home and abroad. It is like a frightened giant lashing out with repression and spying.”

Kelly is one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists who were raided by the FBI and called before a grand jury in 2010.

#MinneapolisMN #politicalRepression #NSA #StopFBIRepression #CSFR