Today, the hacker collective known as Anonymous made good on its promise to release the names of and contact information for alleged KKK members. In a shock to the political establishment, the list includes many prominent politicians, including several United States Senators, and mayors of large cities.
The group, which bills itself as a “Hacktivist” effort, has been promising an Anonymous KKK list for several days. According to an Anonymous press release, the unmasking of up to 1,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan is timed to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the Million Man March, and of Guy Fawkes Day, celebrated each November 5th.
Dubbed the “Million Mask March,” the group’s intention is to strip the KKK of its anonymity:
We are not oppressing you, Ku Klux Klan. We are not here to strip you of your Freedom of Speech. Anonymous will never strip you of any of your Constitutional rights. There is no “hate speech” exception to the Constitution. In a free society, we do have a duty to protect free thought, even when especially offensive. Your hateful ideas and words remain yours to keep. You are allowed to speak and in kind, we are allowed to respond. You are legally free to live and be any which way you choose to live and be. Keep in mind, it is not illegal nor oppressive to hurt your feelings. With that said, we are stripping you of your anonymity. This is not a threat, but rather a promise.
With that in mind, the group released the initial Anonymous KKK list on Pastebin. Comprised of 57 phone numbers and 23 e-mail addresses, the list includes the following alleged KKK members and associates:
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Senator Dan Coats (R-TN)
Mayor Madeline Rogero (Knoxville TN)
Mayor Paul Fraim (Norfolk VA)
Mayor Jim Gray (Lexington KY)
Mayor Kent Guinn (Ocala FL)
Mayor Tom Henry (Ft. Wayne IN)
KKK about to be waving white flags very soon. #opkkk #Hoodsoff pic.twitter.com/3NSJDB8mHu
— Anonymous (@WeCopWatchMob) November 2, 2015
Phone and Email list for members of the Klan #OpKKK part 4 #Anonymous https://t.co/QG8nizJUPf #HoodsOff pic.twitter.com/BAYafvSPgy — Anonymous (@WeCopWatchMob) November 2, 2015
The group promises to release the full Anonymous KKK list, containing approximately 1,000 names, on Thursday, November 5th.
So far, Coats is the only Senator to refute the allegations, calling them “baseless internet garbage” on Twitter. Knoxville mayor Madeline Rogero said the accusations were “irresponsible and slanderous,” and Norfolk mayor Paul Fraim likewise called them “false and defamatory.”
Lexington mayor Jim Gray gave perhaps the shortest and most direct response to an inclusion on the Anonymous KKK list, tweeting “I am opposed to everything the KKK stands for. I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong.”
UPDATE: Senator Isakson has also denied the allegations against him. “This information is absolutely false and comes from an unverified source,” said a statement released through his office. “Senator Isakson has never been affiliated with the KKK.”
(Photo credits: Anonymous KKK list one, two, three via Flickr)
