Anonymous-inspired activists are taking to the streets across the globe as the Million Mask March circles the world. Hiding behind symbolic Anonymous masks, the demonstrators are protesting censorship, government corruption, and police brutality.
06 November 2015
Dozens of demonstrators participated in a march in Seattle, with those on the ground reporting at least one arrest.
Some protesters are still out in the streets in Washington, DC.
At least 50 people were arrested during today's event in London.
Elsewhere in the world, protests were organized in Montreal and Guatemala.
In California, a group of activists has gathered outside the Los Angeles Times.
In New York, activists head to Wall Street.
This DC protester endorses "nobody for president."
Some activists out in Amsterdam.
A group of protesters gathers in Colorado.
05 November 2015
In Chicago, protesters are calling attention to police violence.
Activists give speeches in NYC and march through the streets.
People have started gathering at New York City's Union Square.
In Washington, DC, participants chanted "Hnads up, don't shoot" while marching down the street.
With events in London coming to an end, RT UK is signing off. For those following our live feed, stay tuned for updates from Million Mask Marches around the world.
As the London Million Mask March winds down, RT’s Harry Fear describes the challenges involved in covering such a volatile protest from within.
Journalist Teneille May has shared videos showing large groups of riot police marching down The Mall in London, seemingly in the direction of Trafalgar Square.
Although a heavy police presence remains, London’s streets have become markedly quieter, as protests are dissipating.
RT’s William Njobvu spoke with two London protestors who said they were demonstrating against a police cover-up of cases of VIP pedophilia at the highest levels of government.
London’s Metropolitan police are arresting protestors for public order offences after they breached the “conditions” of the march.
An unconfirmed source reports arrests have been made at Argyle Street in Westminster.
Meanwhile, Transport for London has said all road closures in the capital remain in place.
Hundreds of protestors are gathered outside Buckingham Palace, where some are setting off fireworks, according to reports.
Protesters in Washington, DC are now outside of Monsanto's offices.
London protestors have fragmented into several groups, with some currently at the intersection of Oxford Street and Hanover Square and others in Maddox Street, according to Metropolitan police.
Journalist Ned Donovan of The Week reports that a “final kettle” is being formed on Regent Street, where protestors are setting off fireworks from inside the police cordon.
A small protest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A Million Mask March event in Florida was reportedly shut down because state law prohibits wearing masks in public.
Police are standing guard outside The Ritz Hotel – one of London’s most expensive – a short walk from Green Park Station.
London Underground has reopened Jubilee Line services at Westminster station, after suspending them for roughly one hour.
RT’s Harry Fear reports that a police car was set on fire in central London as part of the Million Mask March.
He added the message of activists, many of whom are protesting inequality in the UK, is being literally drowned out by police sirens.
In London, activists are reportedly marching down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth II. Flares and fireworks are being set off outside the Palace, according to journalist Ned Donovan of The Week.
Protestors have also reportedly broken into the grounds of St James’ Palace, the official residence of the British monarch.
Anonymous activists in Belfast, Northern Ireland tweeted this picture from their protest.
Protestors are holding placards which read “Bust the Banksters,” “System of Thieves,” and “Greed Kills.”
RT’s Harry Fear reports additional police are being deployed in London as the Million Mask March becomes increasingly chaotic.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged suggesting protestors tried to storm the Hunger Games premiere in Leicester Square this evening.
Activists have gathered in front of the Los Angeles, California City Hall. Speakers are discussing police brutality and the Los Angeles Police Department.
RT’s Harry Fear reports protestors in London are now marching through Piccadilly Circus, where smoke devices are being set off.
Clashes between police and protestors in London continue, as activists block riot vans from travelling up Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square, where the march is returning.
The march has even spread outside the permitted area to Leicester Square, where celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence had attended the UK premiere of the latest Hunger Games film just an hour earlier.
A small group is protesting in Tampa, Florida.
London protestors have marched back to Trafalgar Square, near Admiralty Arch, according to Transport for London.
London police have continued to contain and kettle protestors at several locations across the capital. Two lines of police are pictured hemming a group of activists in Great George Street.
In another tweet, police are seen kettling protestors outside the UK’s Supreme Court, according to Jamie Merrill of the Independent.
RT’s William Njobvu interviewed one protestor who said he was attacked by a police officer with a baton.
Police appear to have surged into the crowd of masked protestors on Old Queen Street, near Parliament Square in London, in a bid to make arrests. Regular officers have been replaced by riot cops on the front line of the human barrier.
Police officers are pushing forward against the protestors, seemingly in a bid to keep them inside the permitted zones.
One protestor has come out of the clashes with a bloodied head.
In London, one protestor told RT’s William Njobvu that he was joining the Million Mask March to protest against the government’s austerity policies.
Njobvu reports having heard a loud bang, which is likely to have been fireworks.
London police are clashing with protestors on Birdcage Walk, where officers have formed a human barrier and are asking marchers to “Get back” into Trafalgar Square. A live video feed shows police officers with batons at the ready.
Road closures are in place around Parliament Square, Transport for London has announced.
Whitehall is now closed to all traffic, Metropolitan Police have announced. Protestors are shouting “Tory scum” outside Downing Street before heading south to Parliament Square.
Scotland Yard has 1,200 police officers on standby in central London, according to London Live journalist Dan Freedman. That is 150 riot vans, each with 8 officers inside. On the event’s Facebook page, some 18,000 people have confirmed that they plan to attend the Million Mask March. Last year, 6,000 confirmed they would attend the march.
The Indonesian city of Badung has also joined the global protest, urging governments to “change the world without war.”
Scotland Yard has imposed special conditions on the capital ahead of London’s Million Mask March. Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 has been invoked to limit static assemblies at the following locations: Trafalgar Square, the center of Parliament Square, and Richmond Terrace.
Protesters in Guy Fawkes masks carrying flags and banners have also marched through the streets of the Belgian capital.
Police in London have said the Million Mask March must not start before 18:00 GMT and must end by 21:00 GMT. Marchers should stay within specific areas.
BBC has increased security around its London headquarters on Regent Street. Last year, the BBC offices went into lockdown as hundreds of protestors outside chanted “BBC, shame on you” in a standoff with the police.
Amsterdam police had a tough time trying to lead the Million Mask March through the city while avoiding confrontations with football fans, witnesses report on Twitter. At one point, the march halted until police declared the de Dam square was safe to move into.
The Million Mask March in DC stopped along its route to donate money to a homeless man.
London Met Police: Officers have the power to force protestors to remove facial covering where police anticipate a criminal offence might take place.
Activists are on the march again in Washington, DC. They have left the White House.
With Anonymous planning to march on company headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Amazon has warned its employees not to wear clothing with the corporate logo and to keep their badges hidden, according to GeekWire.
“Please remember to not wear anything that has Amazon logos and keep your badges covered or put away and out of site,” the internal Amazon memo says. “It is unclear what the group intends to do vis-à-vis Amazon, but the purported organizer is an individual with known anarchist views and a desire to engage in direct action.”
The memo also asked employees to report any security issues immediately.
In DC, the Million Mask March has moved from the Washington Monument to the White House.
Here is a live stream from Amsterdam’s central de Dam square, where the anti-establishment march started earlier today.
In Amsterdam, protesters were joined by several policemen who are guiding them through the city. After a break for coffee, snacks and a group photo, the rally is moving towards Rembrandtplein square.
Activists have begun gathering at the Washington Monument in the nation's capital.
The “Anonymous army,” as the hacktivist group calls its followers, is expected to take to the streets in more than 671 cities around the world. In London alone, more than 18,000 people have expressed an intention to join the march, according to information on the rally’s Facebook page.
News about this year’s protest has quickly spread across social media with the hashtags #MMM, #MMM2015, #MillionMaskMarch and #Nov5th.
Edward Snowden's lawyer Jesselyn Radack, a whistleblower in her own right, prepares for the march in Washington, DC.
Italian activists have also joined the Million Mask March, with protesters in Milan standing on the central square and holding banners in English and Italian.
Protesters in Amsterdam are getting louder as they walk through the streets chanting “Revolution!” and demanding, among other things, the release off WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London under asylum.
The Million Mask March takes place every year on November 5 in various cities around the world. It is organized by the “hacktivist” group Anonymous and stands for free speech, equal rights and legalizing marijuana. The marches coincide with Guy Fawkes night, when England commemorates the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament.
The Guy Fawkes masks worn by members of the Anonymous group and protesters come from the 2006 film “V For Vendetta,” based on the graphic novel of the same name, in which a freedom fighter attempts to ignite a revolution against an authoritarian British government.
Australia has also had a march against corruption and police brutality today. People wearing Guy Fawkes masks, holding placards and demanding, “Stop governmental waste!” have gathered in Adelaide.
The group of protesters at Amsterdam’s central de Dam square is getting bigger and bigger. There is no evidence so far that police are there in force.
Britain: Thousands of extra police officers and rigid public order rules will be brought into Westminster on Thursday night over fears the London leg of the global “Million Mask March” against austerity and state surveillance could spill over into civil unrest.
READ MORE: Police plan Westminster lockdown ahead of ‘Million Mask March’
This year’s Million Mask March has gone to a whole new level with activists in a number of far-flung countries, such as the Philippines, planning to take part in the world’s largest anti-establishment protest.
People have gathered in Camden, UK.
Million Mask Marches are also expected to be staged in New York, Philadelphia, Texas, Florida, California, and several other states.
Activists are going to protest “Police brutality,” the “2nd amendment,” and “MAJOR corruption in every government,” while rallying for “FREEDOM!” according to a statement on Facebook.
Activists are expected to gather by the Washington monument not far from the Capitol building. The march will head towards the White House from there.
“Stay at Obama’s House until 5 pm using the 2-megaphone educational amplified public chat method,” Anonymous instructed.
The Million Mask March is expected to be attended by 25,000 people in Washington, according to Facebook’s number of “going.”