THE TRAJECTORY OF #OPNEWBLOOD IN BRAZIL

In 2013, when the Anonymous Idea was still on the rise in the country, before the phase of protests and future conflicts, a joint initiative also mobilized this operation in Brazil. Several cells, from the most visible to the smaller ones, got involved in the creation of shared spaces for this operation. Some of these groups still exist, but have gone into inactivity. An interesting feature of this operation is that it had no leadership or command by a specific cell or group. It was one of the most legitimate collective efforts that we have ever seen occur for the Anon Idea in our country. Several volunteers organized themselves in different "work fronts" in order to promote the operation and strengthen the work of the teams involved.

The first step was to have people as "scouts" in activism groups and discussion spaces where people could be interested in the Idea. These people were then referred to a common group, where there were members from many cells. There, new members could ask questions with access to the different views of the groups, learn the basics about the Idea, about security, about freedom of information, etc. This space also functioned as a screening place, where as potential or willingness to learn for certain types of work was seen, people were referred to other smaller groups. In these groups, tasks of common interest to all Anons groups were performed (translations, creation of videos, creation of images, writing texts for new operations, etc). In this way, in practice, people were able to understand the Anonymous Idea by working for it. It was in one of these spaces that the subtitles of the document We Are Legion, one of the main media references for understanding the Idea today, were translated, for example.

This experience also allowed people to get in touch with different tasks, until each one could "find themselves" in that environment. This, after all, is what makes Anonymous so rich. There are those who have the technical knowledge to carry out attacks, those who have the investigative skills, those who communicate well, those who can translate content and expand communication to other countries, those who have the graphic skills to attract public attention, and so on. Over time, besides being able to find out what each person likes to work with (or where we are in urgent need of more volunteers), these people expanded their networks, got to know the way various cells work, or could even make new friends and set up their own teams. That same year, unfortunately, Brazil went through a very confusing political scenario. In this process, the Anonymous Idea suffered co-optation attempts by many spheres. This caused many groups to move away or shut down, leaving the environments of this Op abandoned, and without proper attention it ended up being suspended.

Currently, we live in a "post-consciousness" crisis in Brazil. We are going through a moment of growing up, reaching out, entering into crisis and conflicts, splitting up, maturing, and dialoguing again. Perhaps it is the moment for this operation to return with full force. It is in this dialogue that Anonymous' greatest strength lies. Without that contact, without that collaborative network, and without that free and collaborative openness for new people to come in, we don't have much of a future ahead of us. You surely know someone who could work for the Idea. You have in your conviviality people with diverse potential to act in the transformation of society. We all have something to teach and learn. But things will not happen by themselves.

Finally, it is important to reflect on this name. "New blood" does not necessarily inspire the issue of youth or innocence. It is not about gathering people together, or bringing them together at all costs. It is about a constant renewal of our energies, as a collective. It is about having people with energy coming in at all times, so that one can eventually rest when needed. It's about bringing in fresh eyes with questions that people who are "older" in the Idea may be closed to. We live in a time when economic imperialism is spreading and taking root around the world with more force every day. We no longer have enough time or energy to pay attention to ego disagreements. It is necessary to nourish the collective spirit. We must be serious about welcoming new warriors. We urgently need "new blood". We need to make sure that our work is not lost, is not in vain, and is not just for ourselves.