Hackers attack Ugandan gov’t sites in reply to homophobia

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI – “You have been warned, repeatedly to expect us,” begins the message on the Ugandan prime minister’s office website.

“Your violations of the rights of LGBT people have disgusted us,” the Aug 14 message continues. “ALL people have the right to live in dignity free from the repression of someone else’s political and religious beliefs. You should be PROUD of your LGBT citizens, because they clearly have more balls than you will ever have.”

“Fuck you Ugandan government! See you again soon x,” the message concludes.


Gay Star News
and Think Progress LGBT report that the hacktivist group Anonymous, whose members sometimes wear Guy Fawkes masks in public, is responsible for the attack.

An Aug 14 posting on Pastebin reads, “Today’s hack and deface of the Ugandan Prime Minister’s site was the latest in a long list of actions against the government and infrastructure of Uganda for crimes against LGBT people.”

It adds, “#TheEliteSociety and #Anonymous will continue to target Ugandan government sites and communications until the government of Uganda treats all people including LGBT equally and with respect, dignity and immediately ends the arrest and harassment of LGBT.”

This is apparently not the first time Anonymous has targeted the Ugandan government. A June 25 Pastebin posting, also attributed to Anonymous, includes claims that a number of Ugandan websites have been infiltrated.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

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