A mask that became a symbol of rebellion

Picked up in protests and by Anonymous, this almost Venetian mask features a face with a curved moustache and black chin goatee, plus small eyes topped by jet eyebrows and large, slightly rosy cheekbones.

This mask not only comes from a comic book, later adapted into a film, called "V for Vendetta". It depicts Guy Fawkes, an individual who tried to set up a conspiracy to demolish the Palace of Westminster, which sought to eliminate the Protestant presence in order to have a Catholic king instead.

While Hawkes' effigy has been burned since 1605 to commemorate the failure of the Powder Conspiracy, Alan Moore, author of the comic book, used it to create a mask of a man wishing to attack a neo-fascist government in Britain. The film uses this story to create a physical model of the mask from the graphic novel. The mask will be so strong that it will be taken up in the spirit of the film's ending as a symbol of popular resistance against inequality and abuse of power.

Running time: 9min16

Image: JR from Pixabay