A rally in support of arrested Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev drew a rather small crowd.
Last week, Ksenia Malik, the wife of arrested Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev, protested against her husband's isolation following his arrest.
She was backed up by an organized rally in Amsterdam's Dam Square last Saturday, August 20. According to reporting by CoinDesk, more than 50 people gathered to show their disapproval of the perceived injustice.
Though Dutch authorities have still to comment on which laws Pertsev allegedly broke, the protest drew a rather meek turnout, with CoinDesk reporting that many demonstrators were reluctant to comment on legal issues.
However, most were concerned by the wider implications of this arrest for the future of the blockchain industry. Roman Buzko of law firm Buzko Krasnov is quoted as saying:
"It's a case where the fundamental principle of crypto is being questioned."
CoinDesk reports that demonstrators chanted "open source [code] is not a crime" and waved placards in support of Pertsev. Eléonore Blanc, founder of Web3 events and consultancy company cryptocanal.org, said:
"[The arrest] goes against everything I've been working on for the last couple of years [...] this is creating a chilling effect that goes against innovation, that goes against the community."
Several others worried about the implications for other areas of web development and holding Pertsev responsible for "criminals using his code for doing illicit activity."
However, Dutch authorities may have had a watchful eye on the protestors, who were also waving signs saying "Boycott Israel," "Hands off Cuba," "Jesus was Black," "Stop organ harvesting from Falun Gong" and "Democracy is back in Bolivia."
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators.
This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the success or authenticity of any project, we aim to act as a neutral informational resource for end-users.
