Why We Remember the Fifth of November (on the 21st)

The fifth of November is a day that, historically, has had little significance to those living outside of the United Kingdom.  However, as of late, that particular date has become something of legend; it has transformed into a day where people all around the world take to the streets in public demonstration.  Holding signs for topics ranging from religion to injustice, demonstrators will don plastic Guy Fawkes masks and march in an attempt to promote change through widespread public protests.  How did it all start?  How did a United Kingdom ‘holiday’ become a worldwide revolutionist phenomenon?  It all started with a man . . .

Officially known as ‘Guy Fawkes Day/Night,’ November fifth recalls the date in 1605 where Guy Fawkes, a York born revolutionary, was caught and arrested while guarding gunpowder that would have been used to blow up the House of Lords.  In what came to be known as the “Gunpowder Plot of 1605,” it was the intent of Fawkes, along with numerous other conspirators, to detonate the explosives during the state opening of England’s parliament — an explosion that would ideally kill King James I, lining up his successor in the process.  Even though he was caught and eventually hanged for his treason, the plot itself and the man behind it have managed to live on through the centuries and, as of late, have become somewhat of a legend, due to in part from pop culture representations.  These fictional representations not only familiarized people outside of the U.K. with the Guy Fawkes story, they introduced a new revolutionary figurehead — one that would end up inspiring countless numbers of people.

In 1982, writer Alan Moore introduced the world to the anarchistic antihero V in his graphic novel V for Vendetta.  In it, V uses his anonymity (wearing a stylized Guy Fawkes mask – see image at the top), to encourage free thought in hopes of starting a rebellion against a dystopic England’s secretive, totalitarian government.  His attempt to start a rebellion derives its power from a mix of inspiring speeches, proclaiming “people shouldn't be afraid of their government, governments should be afraid of their people,” and includes more questionable methods —such as various acts of terrorism — all of which help to show England’s inhabitants the fleeting nature of “absolute” power.  The story itself, while touching on things like government experimentation and mass coverup, ultimately promotes a revolutionary mindset that underscores the thought: you must take action to make a difference.  The story, while popular in its initial form, was brought from the niche market of graphic novel enthusiasts to mainstream culture with the 2005 release of the film, which in turn sparked something in certain parts of the online community.  V for Vendetta is much more than a story about a man in a Guy Fawkes mask bringing down the government; it’s a story about reviving the concepts of freedom — the freedom to distribute information and the freedom to gain knowledge in a country that has long since forgotten them.  A revivalist notion  that was all too familiar to many online.

Today, the revolutionist mentality that inspired Guy Fawkes in 1605, and provided a backdrop for V’s insurrection, has found a place in modern society.  Inspired by the action and shadowy nature of the character V, the organization known as Anonymous has been using their collective strength to attack institutions all around the world who would promote social injustice.  What started out as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) attacks eventually coalesced into a full on real world (read: offline) movement.  Wired.com writer Quinn Norton chronicles the transition in his 2012 article “How Anonymous Picks Targets, Launches Attacks, and Takes Powerful Organizations Down”:  “On February 1, 2008 [Anonymous] took the whole thing to a new level. For one day, a movement that had existed in the online shadows suddenly became visible in the real world, coalescing for the first time on the streets.” Paying homage to the final climactic scene in V for Vendetta (that sees the Palace of Westminster blown up as thousands of Londoners look on wearing masks), people gathered outside of Scientology buildings wearing the same Guy Fawkes masks and waited for the chaos to happen. While they never actually blew up the building, their presence was felt around the world and the movement gained media attention.  Originally meant to protest Scientology, the demonstration ended up being something that showed the true power of the collective.  Something that gained in popularity with each iteration.

With the knowledge that people are willing to abandon computers for a day, thousands of masked individuals now march every year, on the fifth of November, in what has become known as the “Million Mask March”.  Taking a quote from Moore’s graphic novel, those who march firmly believe that “behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea,” an idea that no army can stop from spreading.  The revolutionist movement has continued to gain momentum over the years through various organizer websites and social media efforts, effectively bringing in new people who are interested in “restoring the Republic of the United States”.  Even though some may see the marches as fruitless efforts, or point out the inconsistencies in ideologies of those marching, those who march all share the collective understanding that something is wrong with the world and its various governments .  They understand, as V did, that in order for there to be change there first needs to be action.  This is why, every year, we all should remember the fifth of November, a day that may forever speak for the unrepresented minorities and would-be revolutionaries around the world.