On Sept. 17, 2011, members of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) started camping out in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan’s financial district, and since then the movement has spread to 1,500 cities. One of its most enduring icons has been the Guy Fawkes mask, popularized by the graphic novel and film V for Vendetta and a constant presence at protests worldwide.
Occupy Wall Street, One Year Later: A History in Masks
Andy Kropa / The New York Times / Redux
The hacktivist group Anonymous wore the masks in 2008 in response to Church of Scientology tactics that members deemed fascist. When Occupiers took over Manhattan's Zuccotti Park on Sept. 17, 2011, in protest against the 1% of Americans who control the majority of the country's wealth, they donned the masks as a symbol of solidarity in the struggle against tyranny. This person was photographed on Oct. 14, 2011, after the park's management tried and failed to clean up. During the day, about 500 people would congregate there.