Internet activists call out Ron Wyden over Fast Track for the TPP during guerilla film festival on Capitol Hill
Photos in this post are available for use by press, credit “Courtesy Fight for the Future.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30th, 2015
Contact: Evan Greer, Fight for the Future
Email: press@fightforthefuture.org
Phone: 978-852-6457
Internet activists call out Ron Wyden over Fast Track for the TPP during guerilla film festival on Capitol Hill
Digital rights group Fight for the Future parked a jumbotron on Capitol Hill today
WASHINGTON, DC––Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has been in the spotlight in recent weeks over his tentative support for Fast Track / Trade Promotion Authority and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but today Internet activists put him on the big screen when they parked a “Jumbotron” truck with a giant video display near Capitol Hill for a guerrilla “film festival” of videos calling for the Senator to stand by his values of government transparency and Internet freedom and reject anti-democratic Fast Track legislation.
Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, said, “Senator Wyden has built his career on a platform of government transparency and support for Internet freedom. If he turns his back on those values by supporting outdated and anti-democratic Fast Track legislation, his legacy will be forever tarnished. The film festival today was just one more reminder that the public is outraged that he’s even considering this deal, and if he cares about what his constituents have to say at all he will do the right thing.”
A few dozen people gathered on the National Mall to watch the film festival, snacking on free popcorn and enjoying several short videos including many sent directly from supporters and constituents who addressed Senator Wyden directly and asked him to do the right thing. The film fest kicked off with a viral video of activists who followed the Senator around his home state of Oregon with a 30-foot blimp, which has already seen more than 160,000 views online.
Today’s event is the latest in an escalating series of online and offline protests focused on Senator Wyden. Last week, the Senator moved a fundraising dinner in Washington, DC at the last minute after Internet activist groups planned a protest outside. Last year, 25 tech companies including reddit, Namecheap, and Imgur sent a letter to Senator Wyden detailing their concerns with Fast Track. Online, activists have been pummeling the Senator with more than 35,000 tweets in recent weeks, and thousands of phone calls and emails.
The “Hey Ron Wyden! Film Festival” was organized by Fight for the Future, a digital rights group best known for their role in the massive protests against SOPA and in the recent fight for net neutrality.
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