On the 5th of November every year, the skies of England light up with firecrackers, as millions gather around bonfires to celebrate the Guy Fawkes Day. The celebration, commemorating the successful prevention of a tragedy that would otherwise have shaken the entire early seventeenth century Europe to its core, is a must watch for anyone who loves to see firecrackers illuminate the sky. It is comparable to major festive occasions across the world, like the 4th of July in US and Diwali in India. However, one wonders how significant to us, the day (or night’s) festivities are, having likely lost their political and religious connection, in today’s secular world.
To be able to discuss the relevance of the Guy Fawkes Night, we must first briefly review its original cause, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Following the separation of the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church of Rome, the Catholics in the region started feeling increasingly alienated from the Protestant polity. A series of unsuccessful rebellions and coup attempts further served to deepen this divide, ultimately leading to an anti-Catholic sentiment across the ruling authorities of the kingdom. Under these circumstances, Robert Catesby, a well-connected Catholic, conceived the plan to re-establish a Catholic England by eliminating the majority of the English Aristocracy. The plan was to blow up the English Parliament, at the palace of Westminster, during its opening in 1605, via a gunpowder explosion, killing the King, the Queen and almost all major lords of the country. However, the scheme was discovered and Guy Fawkes, the man guarding the gunpowder was captured, giving the commemorative event the name, the Guy Fawkes Night.
It does not need a rocket scientist to figure out the deep connection religious fundamentalism has, with major planned acts of terrorism. The plot was formulated by Catholic extremists, to target the followers of the rival Protestant form of Christianity. Keeping that in mind, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the memory of the event remains relevant to us, as a reminder of the dangers of religious fundamentalism. With the continued rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the presence of Al Shabab militants in Somalia, we see daily examples of what could happen if we became complacent to these elements. Even the Indian Parliament witnessed an attack on its premises in 2003, resulting in a huge military buildup by the Government. While an attack of the scale of the Gunpowder Conspiracy hasn’t reached the public since, the effective point remains that there is nothing to say that even if given the right opportunity, it may never happen again.
In fact, this fear has been captured in popular media and literature very well. The popular TV Show Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, aired an episode commemorating the Guy Fawkes Night using a plot with an uncanny resemblance to the original scheme. Dan Brown, the American novelist has also shown an anti-establishment plot in his popular novel, The Lost Symbol. Conspiracy theorists have a field day, whenever Hollywood’s fascination with spy thrillers is invoked, specially post 9/11. Popular imagination has also started a cult following and transformation of the memory of Guy Fawkes, with the Guy Fawkes Mask becoming the identification symbol of popular comic book vigilante series, V For Vendetta.
Whether is the assignation of the Archduke of Austria, triggering the First World War, or the planned attacks on the Parliaments of various countries over the past decade, the actions of extremist elements continue to remind us that the lessons learnt by the events of 5th November 1605 cannot be forgotten just yet. Furthermore, we must also keep in mind that our institutions, that we have worked so labourously to establish, may have structural inadequacies, but at this stage, their complete removal will be an unthinkable price to pay. Instead, we must look to strengthen these institutions and reform them from within.
Submitted by
Ishaan Ajay
Second Year IPM Student
Chiraag 