‘Strangely enough, both parties seemed to have got the point of everything’ says Alan Moore
By Angela Espinoza, Commonwealth Correspondent
Members of the online activist organization known as Anonymous held a gathering for their latest cause in London on Monday, November 5. In conjunction with their more global attempt to shut down Facebook on the same day, a small protest group with reported numbers of up to five people rallied the sidewalk outside the Houses of Parliament.
Brandishing their traditional Guy Fawkes masks and signs with images of the popular Pokémon Slowpoke demanding “N-Olympics 4 us” and “Get the games out,” it was evident the group was just wasting everybody’s time.
To quote one bystander, they were “Trolling.”
After protesting for roughly three hours, at 2:15 p.m. a somewhat larger group of reportedly eight people showed up, also wearing Guy Fawkes masks, as well as black garb including capes and pilgrim hats.
After a few moments of nervous chatter, a member from the larger group apparently asked if Anonymous wouldn’t mind stepping aside.
According to one bystander, the larger group was likely looking for a good spot to save before the festivities of Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night.
It was not long before the smaller group retaliated, with four members attacking the larger group with their picket signs. The fifth member, a female, ran off and hid behind one of the building’s corners. Her reaction, as well as her four partners’ reactions, was likely caused by the fact that they weren’t sure what they were doing there to begin with.
After police arrived on the scene, all five members of the Anonymous group were taken into custody.
When asked why they acted out so violently, one member stated he thought the larger group was a threat.
When asked how, the same member responded with what I will attempt to type as, “Lawl,” followed by, “I don’t know.”
The Other Press spoke with one of the members of the larger group by phone, who ironically wished to remain anonymous. He stated, “I could tell right away that [Anonymous] were from out of the country.” He backed up his claim by stating the group did not seem to understand what exactly November 5 meant on a grander scale.
When I asked what it meant to him, he took several seconds to think it over before declaring, “The fireworks are pretty great.”
As a fan of the Alan Moore series V for Vendetta, it’s become clear to this reporter that no one really understands what Guy Fawkes Day is about.