The guys and gals in the Guy Fawkes masks have taken aim at the folks under the white hoods, as people claiming to be affiliated with the hacking collective Anonymous released the names of several alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan on Monday.
Among the individuals who were included on the list, according to USA Today and Yahoo News reports, were the mayors of Lexington, Kentucky and Knoxville, Tennessee, along with Indiana Senator Dan Coats. All three have vehemently denied any affiliation with the racist organization.
In a statement, Lexington mayor Jim Gray called the accusations “false, insulting and ridiculous”, and added that he has “never had any relationship of any kind with the KKK”, emphasizing he is “opposed to everything” that the KKK stands for. “I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong.”
Responding via her Facebook page, Knoxville’s Madeline Rogero said, “Given my background, my interracial family, my public record and my personal beliefs, this would be hilarious, except that it is probably being seen by a lot of people who have no idea who I am.”
Is this list legit?
Last week, Anonymous claimed it would reveal the identities of 1,000 KKK members collected through a compromised Twitter account associated with the group, and they said that they planned to begin releasing those names on November 4.
The date was selected to coincide with the anniversary of the grand jury decision not to prosecute Darren Wilson—the white Ferguson, Missouri police officer who had shot black teenager Michael Brown in August 2014. “Operation KKK” will use the hashtag #HoodsOff.
However, starting on Sunday night, hackers began posting data, including 57 phone numbers and 23 email addresses (including the spouses of alleged KKK members) to the website PasteBin. It is unclear as to whether or not this is part of “Operation KKK”, as a Twitter account linked to the campaign is denying that they had released any information as of Monday, USA Today said.
Likewise, Anon6K, an Anonymous member claiming to be the founder of an #OpKKK channel, said on Monday that the list was not part of the “official” campaign, and that Rogero’s inclusion was a mistake, Yahoo News noted. He said that he and his associates “do not believe” that she is a member of the KKK and apologized for her inclusion on the list.
Anon6K also confirmed that they planned to release the actual list of KKK members later on this week, as originally planned. He also told reporters that it was “not out of the realm of possibility that a politician is a member of the KKK”, and that the list that he had personally compiled “has a few members that would surprise you.”
—–
Feature Image: Pierre Rennes/Flickr
Comments