2011 Guy Fawkes Day Celebrated by Occupy Protesters

The Occupy protesters have always felt a connection to Guy Fawkes and today they will “remember remember the fifth of November” as protesters around the world celebrate Guy Fawkes Day.

At protests around the country and around the world protesters are donning the Guy Fawkes mask, made popular by the movie “V for Vendetta.”

But Guy Fawkes isn’t just some pop culture icon. People have been celebrating Guy Fawkes Day for the last four hundred years.

Guy Fawkes became an icon of dissidence and defiance after a failed plot to blow up parliament on November 5th, 1605. The mask, which first hit pop culture thirty years ago in the graphic novel “V For Vendetta,” has been adopted by people like Julian Assange and the hacker group Anonymous.

CNN reports that Anonymous members and Occupy protesters in London are planning to march on parliament today wearing Guy Fawkes masks.

Malcolm, a member of hacker group Anonymous, said:

“The point of wearing the mask is to be able to go to a protest without fear of retribution or aggression from the establishment.”

But Guy Fawkes hasn’t always been a symbol of protest. Lewis Call, an assistant history professor in San Luis Obispo, said that Guy Fawkes image has drastically changed over the years.

Call told the Huffington Post:

“Gradually over the centuries, the meaning of Guy Fawkes has dramatically changed. The reputation of Guy Fawkes has been recuperated. Before he was originally seen as a terrorist trying to destroy England. Now he’s seen more as a freedom fighter, a fighter for individual liberty against an oppressive regime. The political meaning of that figure has transformed.”

Are you celebrating Guy Fawkes Day?