Unknown: An anonymous user, who does not identify as a member of Anonymous but only wished to remain anonymous, made a lengthy post on Thursday night, January 31st, calling for action against the European banking system. Although the user’s message was in fluent English, they identified themselves as living in Italy but did not specify if they were Italian or if they were an expat living in Italy. Their post brings to light a number of issues involving the European banking system, and other banks around the world are mentioned in a much more rational and calm manner than is typically seen with posts of this nature. There were no calls for the overthrow of the “financial elite” or for the destruction of the banks, but instead for an overall reform in banking oversight. They call on all Europeans to “take action” to give the power back to the people because as they see it, the government banking systems which oversee the private sector are there to represent the people’s interest and therefore work for the people. They make no specific instructions for protesting, cyber-attacks, or any other specific action, but instead leave the decision for how to act to the reader. Their post was tagged with several keywords designed to catch the attention of those most likely to act–such as the Yellow Vests and Anonymous.
Analyst Notes
Considering the groups who the tags were designed to attract, the vague nature of the call to action was likely a strategic decision to keep from ruling out support for their cause by any one group. So far, the post has seen no responses, but has received a moderate level of attention by other users. There are currently no indications that any plans to act against the European banking system are in the works.
