14 DAY TRIAL // Hacktivists have published a video message for the authorities of the US city of Philadelphia, especially the representatives of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, after they threatened to pursue a man that cleaned up the trash from an area he did not own.
The scandal has been going on for quite some time. Business developer Ori Feibush removed the thrash from a location that neighbored a coffee shop he was about to open. Philadelphia city officials were not too happy with it because the man didn't own the piece of land which he sanitized.
Shortly after learning of the news, Anonymous hackers issued a video statement, protesting against the city’s decision, demanding that officials “retract all claims of wrong doing by Mr Feibush.”
The online activists did not say exactly how they would act, but many people, including some media outlets and city representatives, assumed that the protest would involve cyberattacks.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office, Mark McDonald, came forward saying that the “threat” was taken seriously, Philly.com reports. The city’s response followed numerous comments in which Anonymous supporters boasted about how easy it would be to take down Philadelphia websites.
McDonald also highlighted the fact that the “factual basis for those statements [the ones of hacktivists] is utterly false.”
Yesterday, on September 23, Anonymous released another statement, clarifying that their initial message shouldn’t have been received as a threat, but a call to peaceful protesting.
“NBC 10 has twisted the words of Anonymous, who simply asked the people of Philly to stand up in peaceful, civil disobedience to let the government know that the people of Philadelphia want the local government to apologize to Ori Feibush and to repay him for the sacrifice he has made for the city,” they wrote.
They also sent a message to Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.
“We now know why you purposefully destroy the land value. We have discovered that you have purchased 2040 Ellsworth Street four years ago for a mere five hundred dollars, despite being valued in excess of fifty thousand dollars,” they said.
“The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority does not discuss that sale, because City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson just bought a new house on that very lot. How is this not tax fraud?”
Here is the initial video statement issued by Anonymous:
