Snowden Elected As Glasgow University Rector, Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize

from the you-never-know dept

One of Edward Snowden's many wise decisons was removing himself from the NSA surveillance story to let the leaked documents speak for themselves. He's given very few interviews, and his public statements have been relatively rare (the latest is a short video commentary on Chelsea Manning receiving the Sam Adams Award). That makes his election as rector of Glasgow University for the next three years particularly noteworthy. As The Guardian explains:

The rector not only represents the students but is chairman of the university court, the body that administers the resources of the university.
Given Snowden's inability to leave Russia at the moment, the post is purely symbolic. In an earlier Guardian piece, Chris Cassells, Snowden's spokesperson for the rectorial election campaign, explained the thinking behind the move:
Glasgow University students have a long and proud tradition of electing student rectors to represent their political views -- from Albert Lutuli to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and, in 2005, the Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu. The campaign to elect Edward Snowden is set firmly in that tradition. Once every three years we Glasgow University students have a powerful opportunity to air our opinion on an issue of our choosing. This week we have chosen to nominate the whistleblower Edward Snowden in order to show our support for his actions and our disgust with the perverse desire of the security services to monitor our every keystroke.
Here's Snowden's official response to the news, as reported by The Guardian:
"I am humbled by and grateful to the students of Glasgow University for this historic statement in defence of our shared values.

"We are reminded by this bold decision that the foundation of all learning is daring: the courage to investigate, to experiment, to inquire."

He added: "If we do not contest the violation of the fundamental right of free people to be left unmolested in their thoughts, associations, and communications - to be free from suspicion without cause - we will have lost the foundation of our thinking society. The defence of this fundamental freedom is the challenge of our generation, a work that requires constructing new controls and protections to limit the extraordinary powers of states over the domain of human communication.

"This election shows that the students of Glasgow University intend to lead the way, and it is my great honour to serve as their rector."
Interestingly, Snowden has already been nominated by two Norwegian politicians for another "great honor": the 2014 Nobel peace prize....

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Filed Under: edward snowden, glasgow university, nsa, uk


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  • icon
    Ninja (profile), 21 Feb 2014 @ 9:26am

    How long will the Governments keep pretending he's some sort of evil person and that the public is buying their bs? That Nobel Prize nomination will be incredibly sarcasm thrown all over the place too..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2014 @ 11:09am

    Nobel Peace Prize

    They should take away Obama's and give it to Snowden.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2014 @ 11:14am

    Hopefully Snowden will take Obama's statue and shove it up Obama's ass, after doing so I hope he shoves it up Dali Lama's ass.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2014 @ 11:21am

    Snowden should have won last year's Nobel Peace Prize.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2014 @ 11:35am

    Again, Snowden in the news. Past Justin Beiber.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2014 @ 11:39am

    I'm glad Snowden is getting the recognition he deserves. He's made many sacrifices, to help ensure humanity can live in a free and democratic society.

    It's too bad those trying to prevent such a society, will pursue him to the ends of the earth in order to 'punish' him. I suppose it's to be expected though.

    It's like Yin and Yang. Two opposite forces battling each other. One is fighting for democracy and human rights, the other for tyranny and oppression.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Vidiot (profile), 21 Feb 2014 @ 12:04pm

    That language

    Is he really that wonderful a writer? Wow. Granted, nobody just dashes off a response to such an award... an acceptance speech, really... but that's pretty damned eloquent, whether it took an hour or a day. Then again, he's had a while to craft language around his philosophy and motivation. But, still.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2014 @ 2:55pm

    Hardly much of an honour to be nominated for the same nobel prize that numerous bloody handed murderers have previously been awarded.
    It wouldn't do much for his reputation to be named alongside the likes of Kissinger and Obama, tantamount to slander really.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous, 21 Feb 2014 @ 5:23pm

    Rector? Killed 'er outright!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    btrussell (profile), 22 Feb 2014 @ 2:29am

    In other news, James Clapper has been nominated head rectum,or was it chief head-in-rectum? Head in chiefs rectum? Now I can't remember and search won't return any results using the term "rectum."

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Sheogorath (profile), 22 Feb 2014 @ 4:47am

    About time

    Interestingly, Snowden has already been nominated by two Norwegian politicians for another "great honor": the 2014 Nobel peace prize....
    Good. He's way more deserving of it than Vlad the Bad.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Feb 2014 @ 12:12pm

    Why? He made it pretty clear that he doesnt care about anyone outside the US. He only did it because they were spying on americans, not because they were monitoring the internet of everyone on the planet.
    He doesnt deserve a peace prize, but then Obama and Mandela had it too, so its not like they have to do much to get it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Fushta (profile), 27 Feb 2014 @ 11:54am

    "the latest is a short video commentary on Chelsea Manning receiving the Sam Adams Award"

    Looks like you have to chop off your dick before those snooty bastards at Sam Adams Boston Lager will give you any recognition.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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