Million Mask March 2019 London: Protest route and time, plus who are Anonymous?

The Million Mask March will descend on central London on Bonfire Night

Masked anti-establishment protesters led by international 'hactivist' group Anonymous are expected to descend on central London this evening.

Demonstrators from the Million Mask March will wear masks inspired by the film 'V for Vendetta' as they march through the capital, calling on people from around the world to join in their anti-government message.

The annual Bonfire Night protest has been taking place every year since 2013, with protesters to march against government corruption, surveillance and the "encroaching destruction of many civil liberties we hold dear".

With the event now just hours away, here's all you need to know about the Million Mask March.

Million Mask March London 2016

1/15

What is the Million Mask March?

The Million Mask March is part of a global anti-establishment movement spearheaded by Anonymous, with the masks inspired by the 2006 thriller V for Vendetta.

It aims to stand up to mass internet surveillance, austerity economics, official corruption, erosion of civil liberties and other causes.

The biggest events are in London and Washington, but protests have taken place in 800 cities in the past.

Thousands are thought to have taken part in the marches since its launch five years ago.

A post on the group's Facebook page reads: “We have seen the abuses and malpractice of this government, and governments before it.

“We have seen the encroaching destruction of many civil liberties we hold dear.

“We have seen the pushes to make the internet yet another part of the surveillance state.

"We have seen the government’s disregard for migrants, for the poor, the elderly and the disabled.

“We have seen the capital, profit and greed of the few put before the well-being of the many and we say enough is enough…

“The government and the 1 per cent have played their hand, now it is time to play ours.”

When and where is the Million Mask March?

This year’s demonstration is set to take place at 6pm on Sunday, November 5 at Trafalgar Square.

Police usually impose conditions on the march, and have in previous years limited it to three hours and on a route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

Roads around St James's Park and Green Park usually close early on, while other roads could be fully closed if police deem this necessary.

What can be expected of this year’s march?

In the past, police have ramped up their efforts amid concerns “peaceful protest is the last thing on the minds of some of those attending".

Last year protesters descended on Trafalgar Square where they gave speeches, handed out flyers with some occasionally shouting into the crowds before the march headed towards Parliament Square, where it blocked off traffic as people set off flares and chanted.

After Piccadilly Circus, the march went on to Westminster and Southwark before ending back where it began at approximately 9.30pm before beginning to disperse.

The 2016 event erupted into anarchic scenes as fireworks and flares were lit and thrown into crowds and launched at police officers.

Scores of riot police were deployed and 53 people were arrested as furious protesters shouted of “f*** the police”.

While at 2017's march, police made 25 arrests and fireworks were let off around Trafalgar Square and Downing Street.

Police say criminality at the event has increased year-on-year, with only 15 arrests in 2013.

In previous years, monuments have been criminally damaged and protesters have even tried to take over buildings, Scotland Yard said.

What is Anonymous?

Anonymous is a group of hacker-activists which aims to target establishment hypocrisy.

It originated in 2003 from the website 4chan – an online forum where users' identities are obscured by forced anonymity.

Since 2008’s Project Chanology, when the collective took on the Church of Scientology in a series of protests, pranks, and hacks, it has become increasingly associated with collaborative hacktivism on a number of issues.

Since then it has taken on a variety of targets ranging from government agencies, Isis, the Ku Klux Klan and Westboro Baptist Church to corporations such as PayPal and Sony and US President Donald Trump.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in