Fwd: Internet Freedom Shut Down

["Gunnar Anzinger" <a@gksoft.com>]

==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE==================

>From: George Koulikis <georgek@ndirect.co.uk>
>To: fight-censorship <fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu>
>Subject: Internet Freedom Shut Down
>Message-Id: <3420FC6D.502C3BC0@ndirect.co.uk>
>Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 13:03:26 +0300


INTERNET FREEDOM's UK operation has been shut down by the London
anti-terrorist police.

The following Press Release was issued by Internet Freedom today.
-----------------

18 September, 1997

PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATE


Anti-Terrorist Squad Orders Political Censorship of the Internet

In the first move of its kind in the UK, Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist
Squad yesterday shut down Internet Freedom's  UK web site. Claiming to be
acting against terrorism, the Squad demanded that Easynet PLC, Internet
Freedom's UK Internet Service Provider, remove the entire content of the
site from the web.

Internet Freedom is one of the foremost anti-censorship campaigns in the
UK. The web site featured the latest Net censorship news, links to other
anti-censorship campaigns, carefully researched articles about censorship
and a regular controversy feature. The section of the site that was alleged
to contain 'terrorist material' related to a feature on the Euskal Herria
Journal - a New York based political publication. The online magazine
supports Basque independence and contains maps of the region, cartoons and
an online petition to the Spanish government.

The Journal had been originally suspended by its US Internet Service
Provider following an extended email campaign which brought the host server
to a standstill. In opposition to its censorship, Internet Freedom, along
with a number of other organisations and individuals, hosted a copy of the
suspended site or 'mirror site', together with a bulletin board for Net
users to express their views.

As a consequence of the Squad's actions, Internet Freedom has been forced
to move its news operations to its US site at <http://www.netfreedom.org>
where anybody with access to the web may examine the site and judge the
content for themselves.

Chris Ellison, co-founder of Internet Freedom  said:

"Those who argue in favour of censorship on the Net claim that it is to
prevent the spread of pornography or paedophilia. Yesterday's act of
blatant political censorship shows the consequences of accepting the need
for regulations and controls. Whatever one might think about the Euskal
Herria Journal and its entirely ordinary content, it is important that
they be allowed put their views across.

We are calling on the whole of the Net community to support us by mirroring
Internet Freedom's site. Internet Freedom has always prided itself on
exposing acts of censorship that have been dressed in some other garb. Now
we have been met with the most blatant act of political censorship
imaginable: the shutting down of our site. If there was ever a time for Net
users to defend free speech, that time is now."

For further comment call Chris Ellison on 0956 129 518

=================

Internet Freedom
http://www.netfreedom.org

===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE===================