A list of alleged Ku Klux Klan (KKK) sympathisers has been published online by members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous.
Anonymous tackles racial violence
The hacker coalition, styling itself as an advocate of social justice, shared details of around 1,000 alleged KKK supporters on November 5th - the day that Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the English Parliament in 1605. Guy Fawkes masks, popularised in the movie V for Vendetta, have become a symbol for the group.
In the statement announcing their "Hoods Off" campaign, Anonymous remark on the significance of the date: "More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives."
Anonymous shut down servers and infiltrated websites and Twitter accounts in obtaining the information, and said that the release of the data was a "form of resistance" against racial violence.
The campaign was motivated by threats of violence made by the KKK against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, where people took to the streets in August 2014 after a jury decided not to prosecute a white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager.
"We are not oppressing you, Ku Klux Klan. We are not here to strip you of your Freedom of Speech... Your hateful ideas and words remain yours to keep," said Anonymous in their press statement.
"With that said, we are stripping you of your anonymity. This is not a threat, but rather a promise.
"We never forgot your threats to the protesters in Ferguson, and we certainly never forgave you. And the same will be done to the threats you give now."
The hacktivist group also held anti-government protests in cities across the world on Guy Fawkes night. London's Million Mask March turned violent when protesters clashed with police, and a police car was set on fire. At least 50 arrests were made, mainly for "public order offences".