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...Nobody votes against, nobody abstains from voting so we can go on.
I procceed to the next item of the agenda an call for the motion with the printed matter
number 3441 by the Pirates parliamentary group with the title
"British surveillance programme Tempora breaches EU law. Infringement proceedings against the
UK must be initiated!"
I open the debate and give the floor to Mr Nico Kern from the parliamentary group PIRATEN
which tabled the motion
Mrs President! Fellow Members of the Landtag!
Audience, here and at home!
In the injustice system of the GDR the mission of the Stasi (Ministry for State Security)
was straightforward: "To know everything!"
Total control over all social and political activity!
And, of course, they claimed to have the law on their side:
I quote: "We have tried to respect the Constitution and all existing laws."
This was said by Stasi-boss Erich Mielke about the work of his ministry!
What we have so far only suspected and what we have been laughed at for is now for certain:
The total surveillance and control of public and private life is not a past horror scenario
from "The Lives of Others", it is daily reality!
And even today they claim to act according to the law and only for the protection of the people!
The control mechanisms in the digital age are much more perfidious: Taking advantage
of efficient division of labour, national intelligence services support each other.
The Americans and the British keep everyone under surveillance; the Germans use the data
to spy on its own people! And the entire operation is organised in such a way that no political
decision-maker will ever be held responsible for the massive breach of civil rights!
This is global Taylorism of control!
The most powerful vacuum cleaner of data is right next door: The Tempora programme of
the British intelligence agency GCHQ.
By tapping internet nodes and fibre optics cables Tempora can monitor the entire global
telecommunications and internet traffic. Not only connection data, but also the content of emails
and phone calls is stored! Up to 600 million telephone connections -- per day!
Tempora is, of course, in accordance with UK law -- Mielke would have been proud!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Unlike the U.S., which have successfully escaped international jurisdiction for a long time,
the UK is an EU member state!
Quite obviously, the UK has failed to comply with EU law and the European Convention on
Human Rights!
Such a blatant violation of law must be punished and all possible sanctions should be considered!
This includes the opening of infringement procedures by the European Commission!
To those, who argue that intelligence agencies are not subject to the provisions of European
Union law, you just have to say:
The erosion of European values and the setting up of a control state is, in our opinion,
incompatible with the European legal order!
What is going on here clearly goes beyond the limits of intelligence activities!
Those who do not agree with that concur with Erich Mielke!
The European Union spends millions of Euros on glossy image campaigns every year!
In the vague hope of convincing the people of Europe of shared values and ideals!
But they can print as much coloured paper as they want: If compliance with their own
basic rights is not enforced, calling for a value-based EU is both, cynical and dishonest!
I understand those who move away from a value-stripped European Union!
We PIRATES insist: The development towards an international "Stasi with a remote control"
is to be fought fiercely!
For surveillance is like radioactivity: You don't notice anything -- at first!
Thank you!
Thank you fellow member Kern. For the group of social democrats will speak fellow member
Münchow.