When Poland signed the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement yesterday, lawmakers from the left-wing Palikot’s Movement showed their dissatisfaction in an unusual way: by donning the Guy Fawkes masks popularized by the group Anonymous. Besides their association with a group known for protesting censorship and anti-piracy laws, the printed masks — which are ironically counterfeits of a design owned by Time Warner — are also a symbol of the kind of expression critics fear ACTA would suppress.
Polish lawmakers protest ACTA with Anonymous Guy Fawkes masks
Polish politicians from Palikot’s Movement donned the Guy Fawkes masks popularized by Anonymous to protest their country’s signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
Polish politicians from Palikot’s Movement donned the Guy Fawkes masks popularized by Anonymous to protest their country’s signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
These politicians aren’t the only ones in Poland protesting the decision. Poland was among the 22 European countries that signed the treaty yesterday, and dissent over ACTA has been widespread, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets in Polish cities and citizens raising fears that the treaty’s broad anti-piracy statutes will lead to sites or information being blocked online. Anonymous itself has also joined the protests, rending Polish government websites unreachable for days with DDOS attacks. Although the Foreign Minister has defended the decision to sign, Poland’s largest opposition party has called for a referendum on the treaty, making Poland’s continued support of ACTA far from certain.
Image Credit: Daniel Molkentin (Twitter)
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Aaron Souppouris
Aaron Souppouris
