A small group of masked protesters staged an afternoon sidewalk vigil in Fort Langley Saturday afternoon, donning Guy Fawkes masks and standing in a circle holding boxes with laptop computers that played images of animals being mistreated.
The “Cube of Truth” protest by the local chapter of “Anonymous for the Voiceless” was part of an international day of activism, organizer Kirsten Reyes explained.
“The hope is that people will gain awareness with animals and how we use them for our gain when there’s absolutely no need to,” Reyes said.
Reyes said demonstrations were also planned for other B.C. communities including Surrey, Vancouver, Kelowna and Nanaimo.
The “Anonymous for the Voiceless” website describes the group as “an animal rights organization that specializes in street activism.”
It uses what it calls “local standard-practice footage” to argue for a switch to a vegan lifestyle.
“We hold an abolitionist stance on animal exploitation.”
Since it was founded in 2016, Anonymous for the Voiceless says it has held over 8,493 demonstrations in 806 cities.
“We’ve convinced at least 308,771 bystanders to take veganism seriously,” the site claims.
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The Guy Fawkes mask as portrayed in the V for Vendetta graphic novel and the film that followed, has been adopted by the anti-establishment groups like the Anonymous collective of co0mputer hackers that is known for launching online attacks against targets like ISIS, the Church of Scientology and the Westboro Baptist Church.
It refers to Guy Fawkes, the best-known member of the British Gunpowder Plot that sought to to blow up the House of Lords in London .
dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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