Guy Fawkes Mask
In 1605, Catholic renegade Guy Fawkes attempts to blow up The House of Lords in an effort to kill the Protestant King James I. Part of a larger group of mutineers, the responsibility fell on Fawkes to light the fuse, blowing the king sky-high. He is caught and hung, drawn and quartered as an insurgent and terrorist. Revived in the V for Vendetta comic books written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd in 1982, the notorious mask that we know now, then became an internet meme. It was first seen on 4chan (an image bulletin board) in 2006 and initially was a stick character called “Epic Fail Guy” who would strut around, failing at everything he did.
The mask was first used by Anonymous in 2008 at the Project Chanology protest - a march on the Church of Scientology. The protest was a response to the church’s attempt to remove internet video clips of an interview with celebrity Scientologist, Tom Cruise. The protesters wore the masks to allow them to demonstrate without worrying about being harassed.
In collaboration with CIT
