The name and date are symbolic. On 5 November 1606 a plot to blow up the House of Lords, with one Guy Fawkes in charge of the explosives, was foiled. The name, Vendetta, comes from the film “V for Vendetta” in which a folk hero (or terrorist, depending upon your point of view) wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, succeeds in doing just that in a modern, fictional Britain.
Now the various Anonymous groups around the world are supporting each other “for what will be the strongest display of anonymous in the UK so far.” While focused on the UK, it is intended to be a worldwide protest, both on the ground and in cyberspace. “On the 5 November 2012 the Anonymous Collective will engage in the largest orchestrated attack on the Governments of the World. The centerpiece will be the re-enactment of the Film V for Vendetta scene at the Houses of Parliament with ground and online protests across the globe,” a spokesman from ATeamAnon in the UK told Infosecurity.
The film actually shows the destruction of Parliament and Big Ben. There is no suggestion that Anonymous wants any actual violence, but rather, says ATeamAnon, to re-enact “citizens uniting as one to fight against the tyranny of a corrupt fictional Government – which resonates with the goals of Anonymous.”
In the statement to Infosecurity, Anonymous explained that the symbolism actually goes deep. “While the story is fictional, corrupt Governments like the UK are not. Centralised and unaccountable governments are no longer democratic or representative of the people they claim to serve. Every revolution starts with a spark – a spark that has been hidden from the citizens of the world by a media complicit in the system which causes war, suffering, poverty and erosion of human rights for billions of people.”
What this demonstration shows is the increasing politicization of Anonymous. Its success or failure on the streets of London will be a measure of public support. However, Anonymous made it clear that while it is “physically going to be present at the Houses of Parliament... quite a few online protests will be conducted in relation to related government websites.” It concluded, “On the 5 November 2012 expect All of Anonymous.”