14 DAY TRIAL // On November 6, one day after the Million Mask March that took place all over the world, The Telegraph’s Martha Gill published a blog post about how the masks worn by Anonymous members and supporters during protests are made in what appear to be sweatshops in developing countries.
Gill has highlighted that Anonymous “have been exposed as hypocrites.” That’s because Time Warner, the company that owns the rights to the “V for Vendetta” masks, makes a profit for each mask that’s sold.
This, in addition to the fact that the masks appear to be made in “sweatshops,” goes against what Anonymous stands for.
Anonymous has published a statement in response to The Telegraph's post.
“The truth is, Gill based her article on a photograph taken by Getty photographer Buda Mendes at the Condal Masks Factory in São Goncalo. This factory is actually a 55-year-old family-owned workshop, where artists produced an estimated 200,000 masks yearly,” the hacktivists wrote.
“Most of them are designed by Catalan artist Sergi Arbusa y Amoros and are sold for the annual Carnival in Brazil, which is attended by more than 3 million people in Rio de Janeiro every year,” they added.
“Frankly, it’s sad that a photograph of dark-skinned people at work is immediately associated with forced labor.”
Anonymous representatives are also displeased with Gill’s statement about Anonymous being difficult to reach online. The hacktivists say they’ve tried to reach out to her via a private message, but they didn’t get a response.
Anonymous admits that Warner Bros makes a lot of money from the sales of masks. However, they highlight the fact that @YourAnonNews, one of the most important Anonymous-related Twitter accounts, has advised Million Mask March participants not to purchase the masks.
Take a look at the complete response from Anonymous to The Telegraph’s post.