Officials in Dubai have issued a statement warning protestors during the upcoming National Day festivities on December 2 that they will be subject to interrogation, arrest or other consequences if they’re spotted wearing the Guy Fawkes mask popularized by Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta, reports Gulf News.”Using any symbol that insults the country or instigates unrest against its system is not allowed,” said a police official. “We urge citizens to celebrate using other symbols such as national flags, slogans or photos that are more appropriate to the happy occasion of National Day.”Guy Fawkes was a Catholic revolutionary activist whose terrorist plot to assassinate King James I failed, and whose effigy is burned on Bonfire Night on November 5 in the United Kingdom. A modified version of his plot was used in V for Vendetta by “V,” the nameless protagonist who hid his face behind a Fawkes mask. The icon has become popularized among populist protests and uprisings worldwide since the 2005 film adaptation of Moore and Lloyd’s work.
