UPDATE: The hacker group Anonymous has released a statement saying that information released by Amped Attacks and other groups may have incorrectly named politicians as members of the Klan. Anonymous has said that it is not affiliated with these groups or individuals and have not released any names. They will be releasing their own list on November 5th. Doubts have risen around the release of the names and source of the information. Politicians named by the hackers, nine in all, have issued angry public denials.
Please see: Politicians deny KKK Involvement after Alleged Anonymous Report
Ocala Mayor Denies KKK Involvement
Tillis Denies KKK involvement, Anonymous Distances Itself From Yesterday’s Dox
Mayors Unequivocally Deny Anonymous Reports
Original story – Super-secretive hacker group Anonymous is leading a cyber strike against one of America’s oldest and best known hate groups. The effort named “Operation KKK” has already resulted in the shut down of a number of KKK related websites. According to the Anonymous Twitter feed more shut downs are coming as they prepare for an action called HoodsOff on November 5th.
The Ku Klux Klan, or simply the Klan, was created in 1866 as a result of the Republican party’s efforts at establishing political and economic equality for former black slaves. The group is class
ified as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Today’s Klan is suspected of having between 5,000 to 8,000 active members. Many people of color suspect there are many more ‘klandestine’ members. Anonymous believes that Operation KKK will unmask as many as 1,000 of its most prominent members.
A member of the Anonymous hacker group wrote on Tuesday, “After closely observing so many of you for so very long, we feel confident that applying transparency to your organizational cells is the right, just, appropriate and only course of action.We will carry out our mission in a responsible, effective manner. We appreciate your patience & support for this initiative.”
Some Internet attacks are already happening as other hackers and groups get in on the act. Amped Attacks, a known anti-hate group hacker, claims to have shut down the official website for the Westboro Baptist Church and other KKK websites. Amped Attacks claims to have hacked into KKK websites grabbing the identities of a number of state senators and mayors whose addresses appeared in KKK databases and posted them on the Pastebin website.
Amped Attacks posted the names of the following mayors and their alleged Klan affiliation.
- Knoxville, TN Mayor Madeline Anne Rogero, allegedly affiliated with the KU KLOS KNIGHTS of the Ku Klux Klan.
- Norfolk,Va Mayor Paul D. Fraim, allegedly affiliated with the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
- Lexington,Kentucky Mayor Jim Gray, allegedly affiliated with the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
- Ocala,Florida Mayor Kent Guinn, allegedly affiliated with the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
- Fort Wayne,Indian Mayor Tom Henry, allegedly affiliated with the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
In a response to the accusations Mayor Fraim of Norfolk, VA tweeted “People have been spreading a report from the Internet that I am involved with the KKK. This report is a hoax and is absolutely false.”
Amped Attacks does not claim any affiliation with Anonymous. “I am not involved with Anonymous or any other hacktivist group. I am my own man that acts on my own accord and the take down of WBC is just something I felt like doing cause frankly i am tired of them spewing their hate message,” he said.
In a stunning revelation this afternoon TheAnonMessages tweeted the following U.S. Senators as members of the Klan;
- Thom Tillis (R-NC)
- Republican Senator and Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Dan Coats (R-IN)
- Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
The group plans to “un-hood” as many as a thousand Klan members whose names were obtained from the Twitter account of a Klan member.
Under the Twitter handle @Op_KKK the group tweeted, “All will be revealed next month around the one year anniversary of #OpKKK.”
Anonymous has taken action against the Klan as a result of the group’s threat to take violent action against peaceful protesters during last year’s Ferguson, MO unrest.
In a statement released online Anonymous said it felt justified in “applying transparency” to the KKK.
“You are more than extremists. You are more than a hate group.”
“You operate much more like terrorists and you should be recognized as such. You are terrorists that hide your identities beneath sheets and infiltrate society on every level.”
“The privacy of the Ku Klux Klan no longer exists in cyberspace. You’ve had blood on your hands for nearly 200 years.”
The statement went on to say; “We will release, to the global public, the identities of up to 1,000 Klan members, Ghoul Squad affiliates and other close associates of various factions of the Ku Klux Klan across the United States.”
The Ghoul Squad is believed to be an auxiliary organization for KKK supporters. Anonymous believes it has linked Officer Darren Wilson who killed Mike Brown to the Ghoul Squad.
