A bitter war of words between hacker collective Anonymous and the Ku Klux Klan risks spilling over into real violence, with the right-wing hate group allegedly threatening to shoot dead activists wearing the Guy Fawkes mask in southern Missouri.
Earlier this week, Anonymous sent out a tweet relating an alleged interaction between Frank Ancona, the self-described “Imperial Wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights,” and a fellow KKK member.
In the missive, Ancona allegedly said those wandering around rural Missouri in a Guy Fawkes mask could “accidentally” find themselves in a hunter’s crosshairs.
“Its deer hunting season here in southern Missouri, it’s really easy to see how a hunter could mistake someone wearing one of those gay anonymous masks for the hind-end of a whitetail deer. Boom!!! Oops sorry it was an accident,” the message reads.
Frank Ancona has now threatened to shoot anyone wearing Guy Fawkes mask in response to #HoodsOff#OpKKKpic.twitter.com/w1ikSgAmmW
— Anon Cop Watch (@AnonCopWatch) November 19, 2014
The masks really come off in the next message attributed to Ancona, with unveiled threats of violence and racist invective directed at the hacker collective.
The message claims the names of several Anonymous members have already been obtained, including that of “Commander X,” described as ”The Grand Wizard Of Anonymous,” and another member operating under the handle @TrezSec.
“You pathetic n***** lovers are going down, we’re NOT HIDING. WE’RE NOT ASHAMED OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE REPRESENT. THE INVISIBLE EMPIRE CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE OVERTHROWN, [sic]” the message signed with Anacona’s name read. “We will hunt you down and tear those masks from your face. You’ll be strung up next to the chimps. On display for the whole world to see. The Klan is to be feared, not threatened.”
On Wednesday, individuals claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous sent a video to News2Share saying they took the the statement as "a direct threat on our lives" that they would not stand for.
The video continued that hacktivists would employ every means necessary to defend themselves.
"If you attempt to aid the police [in the event of further civil unrest in Ferguson], just know that there are more of us out there than there are of you. But you will not know who we are. We are everywhere. We are among the protesters and we are even among you. Your violent ideology will not prevail in this fight."
If the KKK thinks we hide behind keyboards, they haven't been paying attention. pic.twitter.com/V3twwzYQgv
— Anon Cop Watch (@AnonCopWatch) November 21, 2014
They further told the police of Ferguson that if they responded to protesters in the city with violent tactics, they should know that they are “being watched very closely.”
“You man have the guns and badges, but when you are on the side of the KKK, history will not look back on you kindly.
Take our warning. To the KKK and police, be peaceful, or you will face the consequences.”
The two groups with a penchant for face-covering apparel began engaging in a perhaps unequal “cyber war” after the KKK threatened to use“lethal force” against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.
On Sunday night, Anonymous listed the KKK websites it had taken offline on its Twitter feed, with reports of the attacks accompanied by the hashtag #OpKKK.
For those just tuning in: The KKK has threated #Ferguson protesters with deadly force. So we launched #HoodsOffpic.twitter.com/wYDkjj0OKG
— Anon Cop Watch (@AnonCopWatch) November 16, 2014
The group also said that information garnered from the seized Klan websites and Twitter accounts could help them unmask several KKK members, likely sparking the “we’re NOT HIDING” triad.
On Thursday, Anonymous released a video claiming they had information from a whistleblower which they say would link the KKK to the Ferguson Police Department. The group will not release the information, however, saying its specificity would ultimately reveal the source. Instead, they vow to “hold this information until we can connect the dots ourselves.”
The hacktivists earlier claimed to have identified KKK members at a support rally for police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed a black teenager named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9.
This photo showing 3 Klansman at the #DarrenWilson rally has been removed from their FaceBook page #HoodsOff#OpKKKpic.twitter.com/oSa4T5tPx2
— Anon Cop Watch (@AnonCopWatch) November 17, 2014
There are fears further protests could erupt in Ferguson, with a federal grand jury set to announce its decision on whether or not to charge Wilson for the death of the unarmed teen.