Tens of thousands of activists disguised as Guy Fawkes are expected to the flood streets of over 671 cities as the Anonymous-led Million Mask March sweeps the globe. The hacktivist group and its followers will protest censorship, corruption, war and poverty.
For the fourth year in a row the “Anonymous army,” as the group likes to call its activists, will rise up and take part in rallies and protests from Sydney to Los Angeles and Johannesburg to London.
Hiding their faces behind stylized ‘Anonymous’ masks popularized by the “V for Vendetta” movie, they will come forward to make their voices heard.
The Million Mask March is also about letting “various governments” know that “the free flow of information” will never be stopped.
“We now face a dilemma unfamiliar to any previous human civilization, we face this dilemma not simply as a community, nor a nation; rather collectively as a planet. We have something no previous generation has ever had, the internet,” Anonymous said in its 2015 promo video for the Million Mask March.
Social media has been their major megaphone calling on people to unite in a global move. Anonymous started trends on Twitter such as #MMM, #MMM2015, #MillionMaskMarch, and #Nov5th that are now full of slogans and pictures.
Just like last year, London expects one of the most massive marches on its streets. According to the demonstration’s page on Facebook, 18,000 people are going to join the Anonymous-inspired march.
“The government and the 1% have played their hand, now it is time to play ours,” a Facebook statement reads.
This year’s dress code for the London’s Million Mask March calls for “white judicial wigs, black robes & Anonymous masks for Order of Public Court.”
Activists will start gathering by the Ecuadorian Embassy “to free Robin Hood [Julian Assange]” at 9 am.
The Metropolitan Police is bracing for 2015’s Million Mask March with thousands of extra police. Law enforcement will be on stand-by in case activists attack businesses or cause damage to property. Potential targets have been warned.
The 2014 Million Mask March in London was marked by scuffles between activists and police.
Meanwhile in Washington, the Million Mask March is expected to be attended by 25,000 people, according to Facebook’s number of “going” at the time of publication.
Activists plan to meet by the Washington monument not far from the Capitol building and march towards the White House. They are going to be protesting a wide range of issues, including “Police brutality,” the “2nd amendment,” and “MAJOR corruption in every government,” to name a few, while rallying for “FREEDOM!”
Similar marches are expected in New York, Philadelphia, Texas, Florida, California, and several other states.
In Germany, people in Berlin and Dusseldorf have been invited to peaceful Million Mask Marches “for peace, freedom and justice.”
“It is no longer just about the freedom on the internet, no, no, no, it’s about the freedom of the human race! Let us work together for freedom, justice and brotherhood by protesting!” a statement translated from German says.
Established in the early 2000s, Anonymous has gained notoriety for acts of protest, both online and in the streets.
The hacktivists have used the Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol of their anonymity since 2008. The group chose November 5, known in the UK as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night, as its annual day for holding the global-wide demonstration dubbed the Million Mask March.
“Remember, remember the fifth of November” has become Anonymous’ rallying cry.