This video from the European Greens is significant not just because it is a useful counter-propaganda against the criminalization of sharing, but because it is probably, as far as I know, and except for the obvious Pirate Party, the first political movement to take such positions as ‘a whole’, and not just on the basis of the point of view of individual politicians.

“In a highly unusual move for any political group today, the Greens EFA party of the European Parliament have publicly expressed their support for file sharing on the Net.

The party has taken the highly progressive step of speaking out on the part of consumers who have been treated as criminals by various media industries. To aid in educating people about the situation, they’ve launched the site IWouldntSteal.net that highlights the party’s concerns and offers visitors the option to download a film associated with the campaign.

The video and website carry the same basic idea: that the music and movie industries have made downloading a file the equivalent of stealing a handbag or television set.

The Greens of course don’t feel that is a just assessment. The party sees that laws which have been passed to supposedly “support the artists” do nothing more than turn everyday citizens into criminals, and protects the profits of the media conglomerates. IWouldntSteal.net mentions the party’s discontent over the inclusion of “propaganda” on every DVD consumers encounter.”

via Mashable