IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Wanneer: 28/05/2015 - 13:54

Mr. Chance Addison, after protesting U.S. war crimes and crimes against humanity at the White House for several months, fled to the Netherlands and was admitted to the asylum procedure.

Press release from American asylum-seeker Chance Addison,
at AZC Dronten - May 27, 2015

Edward Snowden made worldwide headlines in the summer of 2013 with his decision to liberate data once hidden in the NSA’s collection of secrets. Since that time several authors have topped the best sellers lists by discussing Snowden’s actions, and the former NSA contractor has been made the subject of more than one successful film.
However, aside from a rapid erosion of America’s international influence there has been only a vacuum where meaningful reforms should have otherwise arisen. Sure, an appeals court in the U.S. recently declared as illegal the NSA’s bulk collection of metadata associated with phone calls, but only a fool would assert that court’s declaration is anything more than hot air; the appeals court has no reasonable method for monitoring the NSA’s compliance with any existing law or court order.
For those hungry to experience simultaneously both some high-brow comedy and also a portion of the real world effects of Snowden’s whistleblowing activities, enter “The Most Annoying Man in Washington, D.C.” This eclectic YouTube-based documentary tells the hilarious tale of how Chance Addison used the NSA’s stolen data as fuel to stoke the smoldering fire over which many would like to see U.S. officials roasted.
To call Addison an American might be less than accurate for he used Facebook and the U.S. Federal Court System in concert to renounce his former status as a U.S. Citizen. After spending 50 days filming in Washington, D.C. while “flipping-off” the White House, Addison fled to Amsterdam to request political asylum from the Netherlands.
According to the laws of the Netherlands some asylum-seekers are to be held in detention while their case is reviewed by the courts; Addison’s is one such case, but he still managed to have a letter delivered to the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands and U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., in which he requested the U.S. Government renounce it’s claim to his body. In his letter Addison observes the most reliable method for ensuring that he is not returned to the U.S.A. against his will would be to stop eating and drinking, and he requested the U.S. Government “honor it’s claim to that of being a ‘pro-life’ nation”.
Another innovation appearing as part of Addison’s claim to asylum is his use of social media. After posting his letter to Facebook Addison encourages people concerned with the outcome of his case to call the U.S. Department of State.
Addison recently won a temporary reprieve in his quest for asylum from an appeals court in the Netherlands. He then promptly reached out to a network of social workers in the Amsterdam area with his offer to help other seekers of asylum. “I came to the Netherlands to lead a life focused on helping others,” Addison stated, “and I can do that even while occupying a prison cell at the Justitieel Complex Schiphol.”
Short after his victory in the appellate court Addison was relocated to an open camp near Dronten. He then contacted IND with his offer to teach English and business-related skills to the other residents of AZC Dronten. “It would surely be useful for those who have been granted asylum to receive as much preparation as possible,” Addison said, “English and general office skills can be an important part of becoming a member of the community.”

For contact: nonprofiteliquid@gmail.com and www.chanceprose.com
[Mr. Addison patented a liquid for e-cigarettes and was taken to court for this by tobacco giant Reynolds (Camel, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike a.o.)]