The Anonymous 'V for Vendetta' Mask Represents a Catholic Terrorist

Guy Fawkes was part of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed assassination attempt to kill King James I and destroy the Protestant-controlled Parliament. Fawkes and his co-conspirators were Catholic extremists who wanted to restore Catholic rule to England by literally blowing up the government. They were caught with 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars beneath Parliament. Fawkes was tortured and executed for treason. Ironically, his image has been adopted by modern anti-establishment movements like Anonymous, despite the fact that his original cause was religious extremism. The Guy Fawkes mask, popularized by the movie 'V for Vendetta,' has become a symbol of rebellion against authority, completely divorced from its historical context of religious terrorism.