
Anonymous, the group of internet pranksters and hackers that has become a common sight in major North American cities, launched its latest protest against the Church of Scientology on Sunday in Boston. The event was Operation Sea Arrrgh, a protest against Scientology's elite Sea Organization, which Anonymous characterized as a "private navy."
Huddled together in their Guy Fawkes masks -- courtesy of the movie V for Vendetta -- Anonymous members are easy to spot. They come from internet message boards such as 4chan and Encyclopedia Dramatica, which are better known for their lewd images and nerdy pranks than their social activism. But, since February 10, 2008, members of Anonymous have taken to the streets, protesting the Church of Scientology in a series of high-profile actions.
Anonymous has a laundry list of complaints against the church, but the protests began in January, when Scientology fought to remove a video in which Tom Cruise extols the virtues of the church from YouTube and other websites, an act which Anonymous regards as censorship.
The masks and anonymous nature of the protests, which Anonymous claims are necessary to protect members from the notoriously litigious Church of Scientology, make the group seem a little creepy. In fact, the Church of Scientology has called Anonymous "terrorists" who "persecute religion." But, what Bostonist found, on an overcast Boston afternoon, was a friendly group of misfit pranksters, more ROFLCon than Weather Underground.

