Anonymous Group Cleans Public Park in Constructive "Protest"

image
Wes MessamoreWes Messamore
Published: 09 Jul, 2012
2 min read

Who says political protests have to be confrontational? Supporters of the global hacker group known as Anonymous recently protested a new law in Japan by cleaning up a public park in Tokyo, AFP reported Sunday. The group of 80 protesters donning the Anonymous group's trademark Guy Fawkes masks gathered under light rain to clean the park and sidewalks of the shopping and entertainment district of Shibuya.

The offending new law is a tougher ban on illegal downloads of music and movies passed last month by the Japanese parliament. The new copyright law could mean jail time for illegal downloads. Anonymous, an avid champion of Internet Freedom, reacted swiftly with online attacks on Japanese government websites, which were defaced or brought down entirely late last month, but apparently some of its members are now trying a different approach that they see as more effective.

In a statement, the Anonymous cleaning crew said:

"We prefer constructive and productive solutions. We want to make our fellow citizens aware of the problem with a productive message."

According to a spokesman for the group, the idea for a mass cleanup instead of a more conventional protest was proposed in an online message forum:

"In IRC (Internet relay chat), somebody proposed cleaning as a means of protest as we didn't want to follow the style of mass anti-nuclear rallies which are getting too much."

Across the Pacific, American activist groups like Occupy and the Tea Parties should take note of the seemingly novel tactic. Instead of drawing attention to an issue by shouting, what if a political activist group did nice things? News of a public clean up effort or other charitable activities could bring more positive publicity for a group's cause while strengthening and improving communities across the country. Independent voters tired of the same old political tactics and quarrels should especially take notice and begin thinking of creative ways to draw attention to important public policy issues by crashing through the partisan noise with constructive protests like this!

You Might Also Like

National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
The United States has passed the point of no return in the unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting fight between Texas and California, which threatens to expand to other states like Republican-controlled Florida and Democratic-controlled New York....
25 Aug, 2025
-
6 min read
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219 to 212 edge over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies: three from Democratic members who have died and one from a Republican who has resigned. This is the smallest House majority held by either party in nearly a century. The razor-thin margin means the stakes in the 2026 midterms could not be higher. With so few competitive seats left nationwide, both parties are turning to mid-decade redistricting as a way to secure advantages....
27 Aug, 2025
-
10 min read
Hand in ballot that says independent on it.
Why 1.2 Million California Independents Are The Biggest Wild Card in American Politics Today
The fate of Proposition 50, California’s proposed redistricting measure, may come down to voters who have declined to join one of the two major political parties....
22 Aug, 2025
-
5 min read