Remember, remember, the fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

Today marks Guy Fawkes Day, which the Brits observe by setting large ragdolls on fire and shooting fireworks, while the rest associate the date with the symbolic Guy Fawkes mask worn in recent protests, especially those by the hacktivist group, Anonymous. Let us remind ourselves of the holiday’s origin and what lessons we can draw from those motivated by Guy Fawkes’ fictional counterpart, V.

The historical significance of the British tradition stemmed from the day (November 5, 1605) when a certain Guy Fawkes attempted to execute the Gunpowder Plot – a plan to kill King James I and blow up the House of Parliament, so that he could restore a Catholic king to the throne. The king’s guards, however, caught Guy Fawkes and other conspirators before they could carry out their plan and hung them as punishment. Since then, the holiday commemorates this failed attempt at terrorism.

Inspired by the story of Guy Fawkes, Alan Moore and David Lloyd wrote and illustrated the graphic novel, V for Vendetta, which tells the story of a masked anarchist, V, who undermines the government in a dystopian future. The graphic novel was adapted into a film 16 years later and, seeing how fitting V’s cause was, protesters soon adopted the Guy Fawkes mask.

Although Guy Fawkes’ and V’s intentions are in stark contrast (the former sought for the fall of Parliament to reinstitute a Catholic to the throne and the latter overthrew the fascist regime), both share one commonality – civil disobedience.

Donning the Guy Fawkes mask itself is about so much more than just induction into the anti-government protest movement. As a powerful and simple symbol, it brings together those who resent corruption and want to make their voices known – to great effect. Powerful and uniting symbols like this can encourage people to overcome their fears and act out in civil disobedience. The drums of liberty, on which these protesters are banging, are being heard and talked about in the media and by word of mouth, and people, as well as many libertarians, share their sentiments.

Libertarians can take a lesson from Anonymous. In order to make ourselves heard, we must continue to spread our ideas in an easily recognizable and repeatable way, and avoid letting those ideas sit idle within our circle of libertarian allies. The bigger the pack, the more ruckus we can make to encourage fruitful changes within our government that will produce a future of liberty and freedom.

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