Anonymous' call to action on May Day

The first of May, typically a day for celebrating the arrival of spring, has slowly began to turn into city protests and riots all across the world. The group Anonymous had an unofficial press release where they essentially urged people to storm city streets and let their voices be heard. While Anonymous’ message didn’t call for violence directly, strong language was used to insinuate drastic measures be taken. The message almost reads as a pre-battle speech, with phrases such as “[…] take back the public commons from the oppressors” and “[…] Anonymous will […] raise our fist to the sky and shout: We Are Not Afraid!”. With every May Day, it appears the group is taking more of a blatant aggressive approach then their usual passive aggressive attitude via online hacktivism (Anonymous May Day).

I believe Anonymous’ hearts are in the right place. Usually, when people come together to peacefully protest good intentions are meant and violence is refrained from. The purpose is to have the protestors’ presence felt to ensure their cause is not taken lightly. However, when police or authority figures get involved by simply being around, keeping an eye on things or directly trying to disperse the crowd for safety reasons, things can get out of hand.

On May 1^st, 2013, significant damage was done to buildings in and around Downtown Seattle later at night, which almost had a complete 180 degree turn from the tone earlier in the day. Suffice it to say, the management of the riots was substantially better this year than last years. Still, approximately “17 people suspected of assault and property damage [were arrested]” (CBSNews). It’s hard to tell how many protestors and rioters are (or consider themselves) members of Anonymous, but one thing is for sure, they need to start shifting the focus from being hostile and intimidating to being more peaceful and tranquil.

The protest earlier in the day was a lot calmer and centered on immigration laws; a cause worthy of getting Anonymous’ attention. Protestors wanted “to call for an overhaul of immigration laws” as lately Congress has proposed stricter laws (Johnson). Not only in Seattle, but in cities such as Los Angeles and Phoenix, where significant portions of the population are immigrants, protestors gathered in the thousands to publicly condemn immigration laws.

We live in a free country and so these protests make sense to me personally. I think, and I’m sure many others do, the protestors lose their credibility and respect when they start becoming violent. To take a stand is one thing; to damage property and antagonize police authorities is another thing entirely and is completely unacceptable.

                Some of the protestors may be related to Anonymous in some way, some may not. What is important for all the protestors to remember is that their voice is lost the minute they break the law.

The riots are causing a mockery and negative side show of the real intentions of these protestors’ stance. The riots aren’t justifiable by any means and the sooner people realize that the sooner the concerns and issues, of the people protesting, will start being taken more seriously. I feel Anonymous always strives to do the right thing so Anonymous should start taking responsibility and recognize that the riots are counterproductive. I urge Anonymous to urge its followers to start assembling peacefully from now on.

Works Cited

"Anonymous May Day." Why We Protest. N.p., 1 May 2013. Web. 06 May 2013. <https://whyweprotest.net/community/threads/anonymous-may-day.110697/>

CBSNews. "Seattle May Day Rally Turns Violent." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 2 May 2013. Web. 06 May 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57582483/seattle-may-day-rally-turns-violent/>.

Johnson, Eric M. "May Day Protests Turn Violent in Seattle; Thousands March in LA." NBC News. N.p., 1 May 2013. Web. 06 May 2013. <http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/02/18011716-may-day-protests-turn-violent-in-seattle-thousands-march-in-la?lite>.