This fifth of November, 2011, could be more memorable than most, and not merely because it marks the 406th anniversary of Guy Fawkes and company’s foiled plot to blow up part of the British Houses of Parliament and assassinate King James I.
This year, a number of distinct but somewhat overlapping quasi-political protest events against banks, media companies and a Mexican drug cartel have been planned for November 5, 2011 by various groups, including various people working under the name of the hacktivist collective Anonymous, the Occupy Wall Street protesters and one woman dedicated to undermining the nation’s largest banks. Even MTV is getting in on the action.
Whether any of the plans come to fruition – and if so, to what extent – remains to be seen. After all, last November 5, 2010, passed without much action.
Still, whatever happens, there’s no denying that the day, formerly not widely celebrated outside of England, has gained currency around the Web in the last five years as the hacktivist collective Anonymous has grown, with self-identifying Anonymous members adopting and promoting the symbolism of the Guy Fawkes mask worn by the vigilante main character in “V for Vendetta,” a seminal Alan Moore graphic novel turned Hollywood movie about said vigilante’s violent guerilla war against a futuristic totalitarian U.K. government.
Here’s the running list of events of national and global significance that are planned for November 5, 2011. We’ll update on the day with reports of which, if any of them, actually take place.
Anonymous Operation Cartel
One group identifying themselves as part of Anonymous is reportedly planning to release identifying information about civilian associates of Los Zetas, one of Mexico’s most powerful and ruthless drug cartels, although there have been calls to cancel the operation due to the possible danger to participants and erroneously identified targets. Follow Operation Cartel (Operacion Cartel) on Twitter under the hashtag #OpCartel.
Anonymous Operation Fox Hunt
Another sub-group of Anonymous is reportedly planning on launching Operation Fox Hunt, a cyber attack on the websites of Fox News and its hosts. Fox News is of course perhaps the most notorious subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, the world’s second largest media organization. The planned attacks, which may be a distributed denial-of-service attack per Anonymous’ custom, or a new type of attack using the “Ref Ref” tool – are apparently planned in retaliation for how Fox News has depicted the Occupy Wall Street protesters (as agents of ACORN, among other things).
Anonymous Operation Facebook
Anonymous declared war on the world’s largest social network back in August, posting a YouTube video and creating a text file explaining that the hacktivists would launch an attack to knock Facebook off the web on November 5 because of its controversial approach to users’ privacy: the fact that it stores all user data, even deleted data, and that it “markets” such data to corporations. Anonymous also accused Facebook of supporting totalitarian regimes, such as Mubarak’s Egyptian government. However, in the days following the video posting, numerous self-identified members of Anonymous said that only a few select members would attempt the attack.
Bank Transfer Day
Bank Transfer Day is an event in which thousands of customers of the nation’s four largest banks are set to close their accounts and transfer their funds to a credit unions as a protest against proposed monthly debit card fees, is set to take place. The event, which now counts 78,000 participants on Facebook, was created singlehandedly on the social network by 27-year-old Kristen Christian, a former Los Angeles art gallery owner, who claims no affiliation with Anonymous or Occupy Wall Street, though she welcomes the support of both groups, and indeed, both of them have extended their support. Already, an estimated 650,000 Americans joined credit unions in October, more than all of 2010 combined, according to Think Progress.
Christian told TPM recently that the event would go forward as planned, despite the fact that the four banks in question – Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup – all canceled their debit card fee test programs and plans in the past few weeks.
MTV True Life: I’m Occupying Wall Street
MTV’s “True Life: I’m Occupying Wall Street” premieres at 6 pm ET. The reality show special will focus on the October 14 would’ve-been showdown between police and the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York’s Zuccotti Park, which had been scheduled to be professionally cleaned.
Other miscellaneous violence against corporations attributed to the Occupy Movement
Social media analysis company ListenLogic, which bills itself as “the leading provider of Social Business Intelligence,” on Friday put out a dire warning to U.S. corporations, saying that the combination of the aforementioned events, plus other marches and demonstrations scheduled by Occupy movements in cities around the country, have the potential to create a “perfect storm” of “hostility,” even violence. (H/T: RT)
As the post reads: “Occupy protesters are organizing flash mobs to convene at branch banks in the U.S. and Canada beginning the afternoon of November 4th. While officially deemed, ‘Dance on the Banks’ increases in bank-related arrests, as well as vandalism of bank signs, windows, and ATM’s suggest that mob activity may turn violent.”
The firm adds: “While the official mandate of the Occupy movement remains peaceful non-violence, more militant elements have been increasingly turning toward violence and vandalism. Tens of thousands of people are planning to participate in Occupy protests this weekend.”
