Remember, remember the masks from November. Or any other month for that matter. As the Occupy Wall Street, as well as many Occupy (Insert city name), protest grows, it seems themovement has taken a page from “V for Vendetta” and adopted the Guy Fawkes mask as its symbol.
Guy Fawkes is of course famous for his attempted destruction of parliament in London in 1605 on November 5. Fawkes was captured and executed for the plot. November 5th went on to become known as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night in Great Britain and the Observance of 5th November Act or Thanksgiving Act was created a year later to observe the failed attempt on King James the first.
Over the centuries, the figure Guy Fawkes has gone from terrorist to a symbol of taking on the powers that be in protest. Funny how an image can change over time.
In 2006 the Wachowski brothers adapted the Alan Moore comic series “V for Vendetta” into a screenplay. In the comic and the film a hero called ‘V’ wears a Guy Fawkes mask while battling the fascist, post-nuclear war regime which usurped the Monarchy in futurist England. “V” represents a voice for the people, challenging them to stand up for their rights.
How does this all tie in with protests and hacker groups? Well the film did all the leg work. From 1606 the image of Guy Fawkes the terrorist has turned into Guy Fawkes the freedom fighter. In the film ‘V’ Guy Fawkes is seen as just that and ‘V’ sees him as the perfect symbol for his agenda. That and a penchant for very well spoken diatribes endear us to the character in the film. In one of ‘V’s’ public address he makes a very profound statement. “There is something very wrong with this Country.” Later in the film we hear probably one of the most memorable lines “People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
