On September 24, Peter Thiel is due to receive the Axel Springer Award in Berlin, an honour presented for what the Springer publishing group describes as outstanding contributions to society. Given the political and technological projects that Thiel has financed, the choice is deeply troubling.
A self-organised protest will take place outside the Axel Springer building in Berlin from 17:00 to 21:00 on September 24, bringing together activists opposed to Thiel’s political influence, the expansion of surveillance technologies and the growing militarisation of the technology sector.
Thiel has invested heavily in political movements and projects aligned or associated with the far-right, while his companies have played a significant role in the development of technologies used by governments, militaries and intelligence agencies.
Most notably, Palantir, the data-analysis company he co-founded, has become an important contractor to state institutions around the world. Its growing role in policing, border control, intelligence and military operations has made it a prominent symbol of the expanding relationship between technology companies and state power.
Awarding Thiel for his contribution to democracy and society represents a profound contradiction. His political influence and business interests have contributed to a model of politics in which surveillance, militarisation and concentrated technological power are becoming increasingly normalised.
The protest will see political speeches and creative forms of resistance. A rally has been registered outside the Axel Springer skyscraper, where speakers will address Thiel’s political influence, the activities of Palantir and the broader consequences of the growing power of private technology companies over our public institutions.
The organisers are also inviting participants to take part in a satirical Gandalf-themed performance under the slogan “Thiel Shall Not Pass”.
The reference is deliberate. Palantir takes its name from the “seeing stones” in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, objects that allow their users to observe events across great distances and which ultimately become instruments of Sauron’s power. The imagery has long provided an obvious metaphor for the concerns surrounding mass surveillance and concentrated technological power.
The aim is to turn that symbolism against Thiel himself: if Palantir represents a technology of pervasive observation and political power, then “Thiel Shall Not Pass” becomes a call to resist the political direction in which that power is being taken.
The protest is open to all those who want to challenge Thiel’s politics and the growing influence of surveillance and military technology in democratic societies. Participants are encouraged to bring their own costumes or use those provided by the organisers.
September 24, 17:00–21:00
Outside Axel Springer, Berlin
The protest is self-organised and aims to combine political opposition with satire, creativity and collective action.
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