Anonymous - An Inside Perspective

Defining Anonymous is a difficult task for many reasons. What originally started out as a group of Activist Hackers (Hacktivists) on the imageboard 4chan, has grown over the last 10 years into a worldwide phenomenon which transcends the boundaries of faith, race or religion. Anonymous is now more a movement united by a common goal, than a clearly defined group of people. Anyone who believes in Anonymous and wants to be part of Anonymous - is Anonymous.

There is no centralised leadership to the movement and Anonymous members are free to organise protests and operations at their own discretion, relying on the shared ethos and ideas of the group to encourage participation in these events. As such, what follows is only my personal representation of what the Anonymous Movement, the Guy Fawkes Mask and the Million Mask March mean to me as an Anon, based on my own research and experiences with other members at Anonymous events.


The Anonymous Movement

The video below features a speech from the end of Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator". It was inspirational to me in my decision to become more politically active, join the Anonymous movement and ultimately states; what I feel about the state of the world, why I protest and why I believe that there IS another way.

Anonymous members are ordinary people, united by an idea and driven by the belief that things CAN be different. To me Anonymous is a movement united by one simple idea, that the world is fast becoming a place ruled by corporations, not by the people. Whether protesting against TTIP, Corporate Tax Evasion, or the Restriction of Free-Speech, all the Anons I have encountered seem to have the same basic understanding, regardless of what they choose to draw attention to. Anons the world over are tired of working for slave-wages while the companies they work for siphon money out of their country tax-free. They are tired of Energy Cartels holding them to ransom with expensive and unsustainable fossil-fuels and of wars where thousands of innocents are killed for the profit of an elite few. But most of all, they are tired of the inequality which the current system only serves to exaggerate and of political parties who put the profit of their donors above the needs of the people they are supposed to be serving.


The Guy Fawkes Mask

Why hide behind a mask if you've done nothing wrong? This is a question I hear all the time, and one that I could offer a few answers to. For me it serves three distinct functions:- as a "symbol of unity", as a "statement of purpose" and as a "tool of empowerment".

As a symbol of unity the mask provides a shared face and icon for the movement. It shows that no matter what race/age/gender we are, we are all the same. United by a common goal, purpose and opponents. As a statement of purpose it shows our ultimate aim, which is; To bring down the corrupt network of financial giants who control the mainstream political parties of the world, manipulate our media and manufacture conflicts the world over through these mediums for their own personal gain. As a tool of empowerment, it gives people a freedom of expression which they would not usually enjoy in everyday life. It helps people to speak loudly and proudly about the things which they are passionate about, people who wouldn't usually take the stage feel like they can finally be heard, and freedom of expression is almost always a good thing.

Yes, it IS an image popularised in "V for Vendetta" - a film for which Time Warner owns the copyright and thus the merchandise. But most Anonymous members are fully aware of this, and are usually advised to buy cheap copies from sources other than Time Warner. Some charitable groups have even started making copies of their own so that any profits are put to good use within communities that need the funds.


The Million Mask March

This event takes place on 5th November every year in cities all over the world. Protesters from many different organisations come together to mark Guy Fawkes Night - the anniversary of the day Guido Fawkes tried to blow-up the Houses of Parliament in the Gunpowder Plot.  This day has an anti-establishment significance and is used to let the establishment know that we are a growing movement that will not ante until justice is served. It is a day to galvanize public support, educate the masses about the wrongs of the system and to encourage them to join us.

Anonymous realize that they will not change the world over night. But as the movement continues to grow - as more and more people come to realise that the world can be different if they will it to be - one day the protesters' numbers will be too great to ignore, the oppressed people of the world will unite and the establishment will fall. No matter how many are silenced, beaten and imprisoned there will always be more to take their place. This is the strength of a leaderless movement, it cannot be beheaded, it cannot be crushed; because what they are driven by is an idea, not a person.


Fanfare for The Conscious


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5th November 2014: Million Mask March - Manchester


Sources

Wikipedia - Anonymous (group)
Alan More - V for Vendetta (BBC "Viewpoint" Article)
The Guardian - Million Mask March 2014
UK Anonymous Events

5th November 2014 - Million Mask March in Manchester

 This post will be my account of the Million Mask March (Anonymous) Protest as it took place in Manchester on 5th November 2014. As an attendee I obviously have a bias towards the event and thus this is merely a subjective account. Also, any estimate of numbers is just that, I really wasn't counting!

Arrival and the Gathering

I arrived at Manchester city centre for about 5pm that evening, parked on the outskirts of town and walked into the city past Piccadilly Railway Station. I was feeling apprehensive, excited and a little bit nervous. This was my first Million Mask March and with some of the footage I had seen in both mainstream and alternative media I was unsure of the sort of atmosphere I would be encountering. Still, my overall emotional state was positive. For the first time since I started really looking at the world with my own eyes - since I started to wake-up - I was making a stand about the things I believed in instead of just complaining.

By about 5.15pm I had met with a friend of mine and fellow Anon who was working in town that evening and had picked-up a couple of masks for us both. We had intended on getting coffee from a local independent coffee shop, but due to it being closed we resorted to going to Soulless Coffee Inc. for our caffeine fix. We wandered by Piccadilly Gardens about 5.30 on the way to get our beverages, but saw no sign of an early gathering, suspecting that there were probably numerous anons loitering around in anticipation.

Descent on the Gardens

It was around 5.50pm by the time we had acquired coffee and returned to Piccadilly Gardens. Seeing no sign of anyone with a flag, we decided to put on the mask and begin getting ourselves noticed in Piccadilly Gardens. Again, presuming there were many Anons around just waiting to see some kind of signal.

Within minutes, people began to trickle in. Masks started appearing and people began to gather around us, flags and signs were revealed and the group began to grow. People began talking to each other, asking questions and getting to know one another. By about 6.20pm numbers had grown to about 50+ and other members of the public had started paying attention.

The First March

It was around 6.45 when the march set off. By then numbers had swelled to around 80-100. An African drum had appeared and some people had even brought their kids, something which I found very encouraging!

We marched out from Piccadilly Gardens and down towards Deansgate, following the tram lines. The March was done quietly to the sound of drumming. We gave peace signs to the trams which passed us by and and received honks in return along with high-fives and other supportive gestures from passers-by.

All of this was mirrored as we marched down Oxford Road, we even received a massive cheer from people queuing for an event over the road from the Palace. I felt very proud to be there, surrounded by people of like mind and cheered onwards by the public.

From there we turned left towards Factory, and then left again across Canal St and then right back towards Piccadilly Gardens.

Getting Noisy and the 2nd March

We gathered once again in Piccadilly Gardens and people became vocal, addressing the group over issues of organisation and communication, talking about the things that we were angry about and what we needed to do about it. It seemed that everyone had a different piece of the puzzle, and it was nice to hear them vocalized by passionate voices.

From here our numbers began to dwindle, but undeterred the remaining 50 marched down market street to a short interlude outside a nearby McDonald's. But the area was quiet so we headed back up market street to Piccadilly Station. Chants of "Who's street? Our Street!" and "The Government are Corrupt!", broken up with shouts of "Turn off your Television!" were heard in both directions and continued as we marched around the station, picking up our first significant police presence of the night despite our dwindling numbers.

The Dispersion

From here the night seemed to wind down, we had some time outside Piccadilly Station where we talked about the things we were angry about and discussed ideas for further action, and how to organise ourselves better next time. But besides a last huzzah around the station by the final 30 without meaningful intervention from the police, the protest was essentially over.

Overall, I feel that this was an incredibly positive event which has encouraged me (and I'm sure many others) to become much more active and visible with regards to my own activism. I believe that they way forward for this movement is to gain positive exposure and support for the public through education of the masses. So many people in the world don't even know that we are fighting for them, and have no idea of the crimes committed by the people in government and the selfish corporate interests that fund them. The can only sympathise with us if they understand what were are fighting against. If we are to have a peaceful revolution we need mass support from the public, as our numbers are too low for more direct action without demonising ourselves. Knowledge is power people! We have the knowledge, now it's time to empower the public!

Fanfare for The Conscious

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Anonymous - An Inside Perspective