Members of an amorphous group called “Anonymous” held an “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology, and to eat delicious cake on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008. The name of the protest comes more from an Internet meme than the number of people at the march. Masked protesters spent much of the afternoon bringing memes to life, including a contest to be the first to devour a complete loaf of “delicious cake” (a meme derived from a mind puzzle) without using his or her hands, and Longcat (from a photo of a long Japanese cat). Masked identities included mostly Guy Fawkes masks , a.k.a. “V” from “V for Vendetta,” while others included “Pedobear,” pirates from Operation: Sea Arrrgh, and the headless figure from the “Anonymous” insignia, represented by green fabric-covered faces and suits.

While entertaining themsleves with the activities, the internet-spawned horde gathered for a larger mission of, according to their website, “(bringing) into the public eye… hundreds of illegal actions, fraudulent activities, and human rights violations perpetrated by the Church of Scientology.”

This is the first of a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. Be sure to add WaPhoJo to your RSS reader to know when more are added!

Members of “Anonymous” display signs protesting the Church of Scientology to visitors walking past the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008. The group held an international “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to highlight alleged abuses by the faith, developed by author L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s.

This is from a continuing series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come.

An anonymous “V” with a Guy Fawkes mask and red hair protests between the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008, at the “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) against the Church of Scientology.

This is from a continuing series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come.