Polish party to put mask on statute of Christ in internet protest

Jan 30, 2012, 14:15 GMT

Warsaw - Poland's liberal Palikot's Movement party will put a Guy Fawkes mask on the country's giant statue of Jesus Christ to protest at an internet anti-piracy treaty, party leader Janusz Palikot said Monday.

Palikot said he would continue protests against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by putting the grinning black-and-white mask on the giant statue in Swiebodzin, which stands 33 metres tall and claims to be the largest statue of Christ in the world.

The party already put the mask - which has become a symbol of Polish protests against the treaty - on a statue of former US president Ronald Reagan in Warsaw on Sunday. Palikot said he would put the mask on other statues throughout Poland, including ones of pianist Frederic Chopin and astronomer Copernicus.

In a photo that has gone viral on the internet, the party's members put on the masks Thursday in parliament when Poland signed the controversial European Union treaty.

The treaty is aimed at protecting copyright and curbing online piracy, but critics say it will lead to intrusive surveillance and censorship.

The treaty had sparked nationwide protests and sparked hackers' attacks on several government websites.

The law has still to be ratified by the Polish parliament.