Germans see Snowden as hero but don't favor asylum : poll

[dipsydoodle]

(Reuters) - Most Germans consider Edward Snowden a hero for revealing secret U.S. monitoring of its allies' communications, including Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, but are less sure about the idea of giving him asylum, according to a new poll.

Six out of 10 people polled for public broadcaster ARD said they admired the former U.S. spy agency contractor, against 14 percent who thought of him as a criminal.

But only 46 percent were in favor of offering Snowden political asylum in Germany, with 48 percent against.

The 30-year-old American's disclosure that the National Security Agency (NSA) engaged in wholesale bugging of phones and email in Germany have put the U.S.-German alliance under severe stress.

The revelations have struck a raw nerve in Germany, where privacy is sacrosanct and memories linger of snooping by the Nazis and East German secret police.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/us-usa-security-snowden-germany-idUSBRE9A60W920131107

[kelliekat44]

1. He is a "hero" that no one can or should trust. nt