Basque Kontxi Bilbao, candidate from Ezker Batua-Berdeak / Ezkerra al Parlamento Europeo, has announced yesterday that both her political group and Izquierda Unida will ask the European Parliament to assure “no more controls and communication interceptions with the excuse of international terrorism”.

The candidate made these statements during an event with activists who were carrying posters with the slogan: “En Europa con seguridad, pero en libertad” (Europe with security but also with freedom).

Kontxi Bilbao stands for a democratic and equal Europe where security measures serve to defend people and not to spy on them or limitate their civil rights and individual freedom. She remembers the spying network “Echelon” commanded by the USA and the UK, which is thought to have violated millions of email messages, phone calls, and faxes. In “suspicious” cases, the interlocutor is immediately included in a data base as a suspected terrorist. It should be reminded that thousands of phone calls may currently be “heard” by computers that select "suspects" by key words (such as “Echelon”) after using voice recognition software.

Ezker Batua-Berdeak’s candidate also calls for the end of “excessive and abusive” security norms at airports, since they expose us to humiliating situations with the excuse of terrorism.

“In the name of security, the EU is limiting our freedom, the same way as in the name of peace it promotes buying weapons and strengthening the NATO”.

Bilbao concludes by saying “we are free people and want to live in a free, cosmopolitan Europe, open to the world”.