Bulgarian MPs Wear Anonymous/Guy Fawkes Masks To Protest ACTA

from the good-for-them dept

Fri, Feb 3rd 2012 2:40pm — Mike Masnick

We recently pointed out that a bunch of Polish politicians wore Guy Fawkes/Anonymous masks in Parliament to protest ACTA:

It appears that some politicians in Bulgaria thought that was a good idea, and have done the same thing:

It's really quite fascinating how much of a meme this has become within politics. While some still like to pretend that Anonymous is just a bunch of vandalizing kids, it certainly seems that some of what Anonymous stands for is having a real impact. I still think that the DDoS attacks are dumb and do more harm than good, but it's quite fascinating to see the wider ideas of what Anonymous is fighting for percolate all the way up into politics around the globe.

Filed Under: acta, anonymous, bulgaria, eu, guy fawkes, protests

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:Lobo Santo (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 2:51pm

Credit where it's due:
Let's hear some credit for Guy Fawkes!

--obviously the founding member of Anonymous.
Seriously, they never did find out who he was working with...
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DMNTD, 3 Feb 2012 @ 2:56pm

It may be this or that.
If you want impact you have to make impact. Through action and not arm chair rioting/bitching they have created a presence for the ivory tower sitter's. Well done.
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Chris From Poland, 3 Feb 2012 @ 2:56pm

If it weren't for the DDoS Attacks, the Polish media would never have reported on ACTA, the Polish people would never have taken to the streets and ACTA would never have been questioned. Yes, DDoS is a crude blunt instrument, but sometimes one has to smack someone over the head with a hammer to make them notce something.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2012 @ 2:57pm

Sometimes a job calls for a scalpel, but a sword will work too if you're really really lucky. That's how I feel about the DDOSes done thus far.
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Robert (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:04pm

Are they sincere?
They don the mask, but do they believe in the cause?

Let's not forget politicians are experts at BSing people to gain support. I know, some actually have integrity, but how do we know the Ron Paul's from the Mitt Romney's? Meaning how do we know who's legit, with integrity, and who's just spinning yarn, saying what people want to hear?

Politicos are not stupid, they know the youth love rebellion and the best way to connect with them is to provide the image (or illusion?) of supporting what the youth support (aka: Anonymous).

DDoS is one thing, a form of sensorship if you will, but those on the receiving end are simply being given a taste of their own medicine anyhow.

Cohesion is better. If that takes DDoS's to do that, then so be it! We need to align ourselves with a common goal.

We can't be natural iron ore, domains pointing in all direction. We need to be even stronger than neodymium. We need to be like an electromagnet at the scrapyard. All domains aligned, in a Hallback array, so none of our sub-collective forces repel one another.

That's what we need more than anything!

Too bad we can't DDoS the cable and airwaves. Imagine Synapse (movie Antitrust) broadcasting a message like that, all mobile devices, all broadcast mediums, and all websites.

If Anonymous did that, you'd have everyone's attention (I'm certain the apathetic general population in US/Canada would certainly wake the hell up if you interrupted their favourite shows).
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Spaceboy (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:05pm

I wonder what costs the MPAA/RIAA more - wasted lobby money or Piracy?

Umad MPAA?
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SMobius, 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:28pm

I wonder if Hollywood regrets Making V for Vendatta now
It was a brilliant idea of Anonymous to adopt the guy Fawkes mask as their trademark. Hollywood had spent so much making it iconic only to see it turned into a weapon against them.
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Overcast (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:28pm

If only we had politicians like this in the US. 98% of politicians in the US are corporate owned.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:33pm

In V for Vendatta...
The Fawkes masks was a sign of the People; those who'd lived, those who'd died, those who'd fought and those who'd resisted. I'd quote the line that Evie said at the end in response to 'who was V', but will leave that to imdb.

I see it more fitting if it was interpretted that politicians use the masks to represent the people than to represent Anonymous. The debate whether Anon represents the people, or is more like Loki is still under debate.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:51pm

The Internet, it's escaped its confinement!!
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SMobius (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 3:54pm

Re: In V for Vendatta...
The Fawkes Mask is meant to be a sign of the people and should be seen as such.

It's adoption by anonymous has reinforced it's use as a symbol of protest against authority. More an more people who do not necessarily agree with Anonymous's views are using it as such.

I think Anonymous can take some of the credit for this trend though.
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Squig (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 4:07pm

A few days ago politicians from the Green party of Austria did the same in the session of the Bundesrat (higher chamber, representation of the Austrian Bundesl�nder/provinces/states).

http://futurezone.at/netzpolitik/7227-gruene-bundesraete-protesti erten-gegen-acta.php
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2012 @ 4:07pm

Bunch of fucking retards.

Nothing like politicians who don't have the balls to accept defeat like adults. Kick them out!
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 4:29pm

Same pattern
The Bulgarian masks seem to be the same pattern as the Polish ones. Is there a PDF of this floating around? Or are European politicians passing one among themselves?
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Rapnel (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 4:42pm

Re:
Interesting.

The more thought I give to denial of service attacks the more I am inclined to see them as more of the natural and most effective means of short burst protest on the Internet. They are, in effect, a street riot without the street, blood and tear gas.

If only all of DC could be targeted, but, then again, they're already denying service well enough on their own now aren't they?
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Rapnel (profile), 3 Feb 2012 @ 4:57pm

Re: In V for Vendatta...
If the people were not anonymous then the people would not have Anonymous. Anonymous are the people. Our corporations have been and are attempting to rule and reign over the free world at the expense of the people, the anonymous.

A politician seen donning a Fawkes mask can roughly be indicative, in so far as we've seen, as a representative of the people in the truest sense.

You do not have to agree with Anonymous or their ways at all, however, to believe you're not a part thereof is to have played into the hands of those that are truly not anonymous - the 1% if you will.
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abc gum, 3 Feb 2012 @ 6:06pm

Re:
"accept defeat like adults"

What, exactly, do you mean? Do you suggest that giving up is a trait to be admired as a mature response? There are many out there who would disagree with your assessment.
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Anonymous Dude, 3 Feb 2012 @ 7:00pm

A funny thing happened...
...to me this morning. I was standing outside an electronics store waiting for it to open. Another guy was waiting too, and noticed my T-shirt with a Guy Fawkes mask on it. He asked me if I was "Anonymous". I thought that was funny, so I replied in the affirmative. (I'm not in the group called Anonymous, but I wish to remain anonymous, so I wasn't really lying.) Anyway, we start talking about downloading stuff, and he tells me that he used to download a lot of music until he realized that it was "stealing" and "wrong". We sort of debated this and I asked him what he thought about the whole Megaupload thing. Get this: he didn't even know what Megaupload was! LOL!
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Dark Maske, 3 Feb 2012 @ 7:18pm

Re:
your comment is voted as insightful? i would have voted Funny, but go with the flow :O
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2012 @ 8:49pm

Re: Re:
Whining is not a mature response. Being babies about it and putting on masks as some sort of protest is childish. Politics is about the will of the electorate, and if the people elected a government, the government is to do their job.

Childish protests both look stupid and demean the concept that they are trying to embrace.
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Al Bert (profile), 4 Feb 2012 @ 12:23am

Re: Re: Re:
Calling someone childish for expressing disagreement with bad politics is less than immature itself. It's simply ignorant.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2012 @ 3:10am

Re: Re: Re:
So where exactly is the will of the electorate in ACTA?

If I remember correctly, they were and are very specifically EXCLUDED.

Dumbass.
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 4 Feb 2012 @ 5:46pm

Re: Re: Re:
the job their voters asked them to do? or the job corporations paid them to do?
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 4 Feb 2012 @ 5:47pm

Re: A funny thing happened...
I hope you corrected him when he called it stealing?
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That Anonymous Coward (profile), 4 Feb 2012 @ 6:26pm

I did not clone myself and take over Bulgaria.
That is all.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2012 @ 6:53pm

Re: Credit where it's due:
And so the conspiracy theories begin.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Feb 2012 @ 9:02am

Re:
just vote for the rest of 2%
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Chace Torrence, 5 Feb 2012 @ 1:18pm

Big business is stupid. They are not in our future because fossil fuels and the insanely wealthy are not. The only thing non-renewable resources should be used for are national defense, and the development of clean alternatives. The last country to have fuel will be the most defended one, and their policies will be what's written in the history books. So the sooner we ditch these morons, the better.

Screw big business!
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Anonymous, 5 Feb 2012 @ 8:14pm

Freedom
It doesn't cost MPAA anything really, they're all part of the same machine, they only price out their enemy - us! Don't think for one second that they're disadvantaging themselves in any way! Do not hesitate to play your part in protecting your freedom in whatever ways that role may manifest!
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Feb 2012 @ 7:35am

Re: Re: Re:
This AC:

"Wah wah, these politicians are fucking retarded!

Oh yeah, and they're childish."

Is this a fake troll? If not, I give you an F- for undermining your own message in only two posts.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Feb 2012 @ 9:48pm

How dare those motherfuckers wear those masks?! They are corrupt as hell; why the fuck are they pretending to be the good guys? THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE WEARING THOSE MASKS AGAINST PEOPLE LIKE YOU, TRAITORS!
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Feb 2012 @ 9:55pm

Bulgarian politicians are just as corrupt as American ones, maybe even more. TAKE OFF THE MASKS, POSERS, YOU ARE FOOLING NO ONE! YOU ARE NOT ONE OF US
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Black March Boycott 2012, 8 Feb 2012 @ 1:19pm

Black March Boycott protest ACTA, do NOT buy Movies, Movies and Video Games for the month of March. Let the entertainment industry know how you feel and have them watch their profit margin drop.

google it and spread the word.....boycott starts 3-1-2012
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anon, 10 Feb 2012 @ 9:41pm

One for everyone
If somebody is interested, here's the masks, I just ordered one. http://amzn.to/xpdLl2
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