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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