https://youtu.be/PvCC2qONQFg
In a video released Tuesday, a spokesman for Anonymous said the hacker group is declaring “total war” on Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Boasting ownership of successful cyber attacks against Turkey and Hungary, the hacker referenced an old attack on Trump and encouraged all those who support the group to attack Trump on April 1. Anonymous is not unanimous, however, and some have criticized the call to destroy Trump’s freedom of speech.
This is not a warning. This is a declaration of total war. Operation Trump engaged. We are anonymous, we are legion. We do not forgive. We will not forget.
The man in the video addressed himself to Trump, saying, “We have been watching you for a long time and what we see is deeply disturbing.” He then played a number of clips showing Trump’s disturbing statements, from his presidential announcement, to his attacks on Megyn Kelly, to his declaration that “if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I would be dating her.”
“Your inconsistent and hateful campaign has not only shocked the United States of America — you have socked the entire planet with your appalling actions and ideas,” the Anonymous spokesman declared. “You say what your current audience wants to hear but in reality you don’t stand for anything except for your personal greed and power.”
The video then addressed itself to “the freedom fighters, to the forgotten, to the censored, to our fellow hacktivists throughout the world.” The spokesman encouraged them to “shut down his websites, research and expose what he doesn’t want the public to know. We need you to dismantle his campaign and sabotage his brand.”
This campaign is known as #OpTrump, a revitalization of an attack from December of last year, following Trump’s call for a ban on Islamic immigration. This attack was short lived, and had virtually no impact on The Donald’s campaign.
Others claiming to represent the hacker group attacked the project, saying the video was awful and that the idea of censoring Trump violates their belief in the freedom of speech.
The “War on Trump” video is the most cringeworthy video within Anonymous, and all for briefly taking down a website no one cares about?
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) March 15, 2016
For the record: We’re pro freedom of information and speech and are not here to censor anyone. #Anonymous — Anonymous (@AnonyOps) March 15, 2016
What happens on April 1? Many “hacktivists” alone know. But it is April Fool’s Day, and that alone provides good reason for skepticism about this alleged attack. Perhaps if members of the group weren’t quite so…nameless, their organization might be more effective. Not that they can’t succeed, but when it comes to making up their minds, it helps to be united.
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