Guy Fawkes mask
The Guy Fawkes mask (also known as the V for Vendetta mask or Anonymous mask) is a stylised depiction of Guy Fawkes (the best-known member of the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up the House of Lords in London on 5 November 1605) created by illustrator David Lloyd for the 1982–1989 graphic novel V for Vendetta. Inspired by the use of a mask representing Fawkes being burned on an effigy having long previously had roots as part of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations, Lloyd designed the mask as a smiling face with red cheeks, a wide moustache upturned at both ends, and a thin vertical pointed beard, worn in the graphic novel's narrative by anarchist protagonist V.
Following the release of the graphic novel and its 2006
Origins
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was commemorated from early on by burning effigies of unpopular figures. Towards the end of the 18th century, reports appeared of children begging for money with grotesquely masked effigies of Guy Fawkes,[2] and 5 November gradually became known as Guy Fawkes Night, although many now prefer the term "Bonfire Night".[3] From the 1864 Chambers Book of Days:
The universal mode of observance through all part of England is the dressing up of a scarecrow figure in such cast-habiliments as can be procured (the head-piece, generally a paper-cap, painted and knotted with paper strips in imitation of ribbons), parading it in a chair through the streets, and at nightfall burning it with great solemnity in a huge bonfire ...[4]
In 1847, The Lancet published "Notes of A Case of Death From Fright," in which the death of a two-year-old was attributed to the fright caused by seeing a boy wearing a red Guy Fawkes mask.[5]
In the 20th century, in the UK, large numbers of cheap cardboard or paper Guy Fawkes masks were sold to children each autumn or given out free with
The British
Adoption by 21st century protesters
Background
Since the 2006 release of the film V for Vendetta and the mass production of David Lloyd's mask design by Warner Bros., the use of Guy Fawkes masks has become widespread internationally among groups protesting against politicians, banks, and financial institutions. The masks both conceal the identity and protect the face of individuals and demonstrate their commitment to a shared cause.[13][14]
On 17 April 2006 a pair of rival groups wearing Fawkes masks confronted each other outside the New York City offices of Warner Brothers and DC Comics. One group, led by freegan Adam Weismann, protested against a perceived misrepresentation of the Anarchist movement in the film V for Vendetta. The other group, led by libertarian Todd Seavey, counter-protested against the anarchists, wearing masks purportedly supplied by a Time Warner employee.[15][16]
Anonymous
The mask became associated with the
As the protests continued, more protesters began opting to use the Guy Fawkes mask, which eventually took on symbolic status within the group.
Wider use in popular protest
On 23 May 2009, protesters wearing the mask detonated a fake barrel of gunpowder outside Parliament while protesting over the issue of British MPs' expenses.[25]
During the 2011 Wisconsin protests, and then during the subsequent Occupy Wall Street and the ongoing Occupy movement, the mask appeared internationally[22] as a symbol of popular rebellion. In October 2011, campaigner Julian Assange attended the Occupy London Stock Exchange protest wearing such a mask, which he removed after a request by the police.[13]
In January 2012, Guy Fawkes masks were used by protesters against Poland's signing of ACTA.[26]
On 10 June 2012, in
The mask, used by
The masks were used by anti-government protesters in
In May 2013, the government of
The wearing of masks during a riot or
Participants in the 2014 Venezuelan protests carried a wide variety of masks; one of them was the Guy Fawkes mask, sometimes painted with the colours of the Venezuelan flag.[40]
In October 2019 protesters in Hong Kong started using the mask in opposition to the government's banning the use of masks during protests.[41]
Guy Fawkes masks were among the symbols displayed during the
Views of Moore and Lloyd
Alan Moore, anarchist and author of V for Vendetta,[43] described being pleased by the Fawkes mask's appearance at the protests.[44] Whilst Moore did not create such a character for the purposes it has served he explains to The Guardian, "suppose when I was writing V for Vendetta I would in my secret heart of hearts have thought: wouldn't it be great if these ideas actually made an impact? So when you start to see that idle fantasy intrude on the regular world ... It's peculiar. It feels like a character I created 30 years ago has somehow escaped the realm of fiction."[45]
V for Vendetta illustrator and co-creator David Lloyd:
The Guy Fawkes mask has now become a common brand and a convenient placard to use in protest against tyranny – and I'm happy with people using it, it seems quite unique, an icon of popular culture being used this way. My feeling is the Anonymous group needed an all-purpose image to hide their identity and also symbolise that they stand for individualism – V for Vendetta is a story about one person against the system. We knew that V was going to be an escapee from a concentration camp where he had been subjected to medical experiments but then I had the idea that in his craziness he would decide to adopt the persona and mission of Guy Fawkes – our great historical revolutionary.[13]
Sales and corporate ownership of rights
According to
See also
References
- ^ Angus Griffin, "A History of the Anonymous Mask", Dazed.com, 14 June 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2019
- ^ House of Commons Information Office (September 2006), The Gunpowder Plot (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2005, retrieved 15 February 2011
- ^ BBC:Festivals and Events. Accessed 9 November 2012
- ^ Chambers Books of Days, 1864, pp. 549–550
- ^ The London Lancet: A Journal of British and Foreign Medical and Chemical Science, Criticism, Literature and News. Burgess, Stringer & Company. 1847. p. 37.
- ^ Whizzer and Chips comic, 1969
- Whoopee comic, 1983
- ^ Cannadine, David (4 November 2005), "Halloween v Guy Fawkes Day", news.bbc.co.uk, archived from the original on 31 October 2010, retrieved 7 November 2010
- ^ a b "Legislative Assembly – Wednesday, 5th of November, 1958" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ Moore, Alan (2011). Behind The Painted Smile.
- ^ Moore, Alan (10 February 2012). "Viewpoint: V for Vendetta and the rise of Anonymous". BBC News. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
- ^ Nickelsburg, Monica (3 July 2013). "A Brief History Of the Guy Fawks Mask". The Week. The Week. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ^ a b c Waites, Rosie (20 October 2011). "V for Vendetta masks: Who's behind them?". London: BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- from the original on 20 December 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
Not only does wearing a Guy Fawkes mask at demonstrations give protesters anonymity, it's an instant symbol of rebellion
- ^ Bilton, Nick (28 August 2011). "Masked Anonymous Protesters Aid Time Warners Bottom Line". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Launder, William (2 May 2006). ""V" stands for very bad anarchist movie". Columbia News Service. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
- ^ Bilton, Nick (28 August 2011). "Masked Protesters Aid Time Warner's Bottom Line". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Nick (5 November 2011). "Guy Fawkes mask inspires Occupy protests around the world". CNN World. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "The Cruise Indoctrination Video Scientology Tried To Suppress", Gawker.com, 15 January 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2013
- ^ University of Nebraska at Omaha. Archived from the originalon 17 July 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- ^ a b John S. Forrester (11 February 2008), "Dozens of masked protesters blast Scientology church. Web-based foes guard IDs, assert risk of retribution", Boston.com, The Boston Globe
- ^ a b c Kwek, Glenda (14 October 2011). "V for vague: Occupy Sydney's faceless leaders". The Sydney Morning Herald Times. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (9 August 2011). "Anonymous: Facebook's going down November 5". CNET. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Flashmob protest at MPs' expenses". BBC News. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ Gera, Vanessa. "Poland signs copyright treaty that drew protests". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ^ Anonymous India to use RTI in fight against Internet censorship retrieved 24 June 2012
- ^ a b Muston, Samuel (25 February 2013). "Anti-protest: Bahrain bans import of plastic Guy Fawkes masks". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ a b Sorcha Pollak (27 February 2013). "Bahrain Bans 'V for Vendetta' Masks". Time. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ "Bahrain bans Guy Fawkes mask". Al Akhbar (Lebanon). 25 February 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ a b Matthew Hilburn (27 February 2013). "Bahrain Bans Import of Protest Masks". Voice of America. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ البحرينيون يتحدون قرار منع قناع "فانديتا" (صور) (in Arabic). Manama Voice. 3 March 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ^ "White masks rally goes international". Bangkok Post. 23 June 2013.
- ^ "In pictures: Turkey's protesters see the funny side". The Observers. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan (18 June 2013). "Brazil protests erupt over public services and World Cup costs". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Guy Fawkes Masks Keep Popping Up In The Egyptian Protests". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ Riyadh Bureau, Saudi Arabia Bans Import of V for Vendetta Masks, 30 May 2013 Archived 8 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 June 2013
- ^ "Saudi religious police confiscate Guy Fawkes masks ahead of National Day". Al Arabiya. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ^ Meagan Fitzpatrick, "Wearing a mask at a riot is now a crime", CBC News, 19 June 2013 Retrieved 28 October 2013
- ^ "AP Photos: Inventive masks in Venezuela protests". Associated Press. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Jasmine Siu (31 October 2019). "Hong Kong's mask ban unconstitutional say pan-democrats, as they ask High Court to overturn emergency law". scmp.com. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ Pengelly, Martin; Luscombe, Richard (10 January 2021). "Impeachment articles could be introduced as early as Monday". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (1 November 2005). "A for Alan, Pt. 1: The Alan Moore interview". The Beat. Archived from the original on 5 May 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
- ^ Gopalan, Nisha (21 July 2008). "Alan Moore Still Knows the Score!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ Lamont, Tom. "Alan Moore – meet the man behind the protest mask". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ^ Carbone, Nick (29 August 2011). "How Time Warner Profits from the 'Anonymous' Hackers". Time. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Bilton, Nick (28 August 2011). "Masked Protesters Aid Time Warner's Bottom Line". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
Bibliography
- Geraghty, Liam (11 October 2021). "Exclusive: David Lloyd's unseen drafts of iconic V for Vendetta mask". The Big Issue. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
External links
- Media related to Masks of Guy Fawkes at Wikimedia Commons