Nov 5th: Guy Fawkes, The Vendetta Mask, and Hong Kong
- 4reehongkong
- Nov 5, 2020
- 2 min read
This post explores the history and symbolism of of the Guy Fawkes mask and it's significance to the Hong Kong freedom fight.
What does November 5th stand for?
November 5th- This day commemorates Guy Fawkes's 1605 Gunpowder Plot attempt to blow up the House of Lords. Fawkes was executed for his participation in the plot. Today, we celebrate this day as a an act of disobedience to tyranny.
Hong Kong Context
On October 4th, the government of Hong Kong announced a ban on wearing masks. This order was given out by Chief executive Carrie Lam in an attempt to quell months of antigovernmental unrest. The ban came right after violence during protests peaked on October 1st, when an officer shot a demonstrator. A South China Morning Post article states that an officer "fired one shot as his life was under serious threat", however the statement did not confirm whether anyone was shot.
The Vendetta Mask and Hong Kong
That following Friday, October 4th, protesters flooded the streets in opposition to Lam’s pre-colonial era emergency law. Many took to the streets wearing the Guy Fawkes mask from the 2005 film V for Vendetta. The thriller movie had also been referenced by Hong Kong’s protesters in the past as cardboard signs with the message “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people” (a central message in the film) and “V” symbols could also be seen around the city.
The widely recognizable mask in V for Vendetta is the stylized depiction of the real life Guy Fawkes and serves as a symbol of defiance against the government in the name of civil rights. This mask has since been adopted by Hong Kong protesters to represent social justice through lawbreaking.
In recent times, the “Vendetta mask” is a recognizable symbol of the Hong Kong protests as its association parallels the state of the Hong Kong freedom movement: rebellion against an authoritarian government.
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