A youtube account claiming to be the hacktivist group, Anonymous, shared a YouTube video stating several allegations against the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection. The sole aim of the video is to clarify whether past racism accusations against BAYC were true. Currently, the video has over 14,000 views and counting.
In August, a video from an ‘allegedly false’ Anonymous Twitter account claimed BAYC NFT collection was the group’s next target.
What Accusations Did “Anonymous” Make Against Bored Ape Yacht Club?
The account claiming to be the Hacktivist group said, “the Bored Ape Yacht Collection and Yuga Labs brand is infected with not one or two but dozens of examples of esoteric symbolism and dog whistles”. Shockingly, they claim these reflect nazism, racism, simianisation, and paedophilia support.
The group further stated that one must have specific prior knowledge for anyone to “see” the issues and that these symbols are hidden in plain sight. The previous statement implies that you might not notice the relation between BAYC and nazism symbols unless you have some insider knowledge. Luckily for us, they plan to release some more information and the context in the coming weeks.
Later in the video, the group addressed:
- BAYC Holders, urging them to speak on the matter as only a few have come forward concerning the allegations.
- BAYC and Yuga Labs’ Investors, Partners, and High Profile Enthusiasts:
The video asks for their stance on the topic regarding nazism, siaminisation, and paedophilia and wonders if they may still stand with BAYC after the discovery. However, they acknowledge holders’ ignorance, as they claim Yuga Labs hides these nazi symbols in an esoteric manner. - Yuga Labs:
There have been multiple statements from Yuga labs denying the accusations. Still, the publisher of this “anonymous” video would like to know why they have yet to take any measures to “remove these associations” from their brand.
Is there any proof?
This “Anonymous” hacktivist group claims to have a pitch deck of evidence they plan to share with the supporters of BAYC and Yuga Labs in the coming weeks. However, this particular video provides no proof at all.
It is important to note that it’s not the first time Yuga Labs has faced racist allegations. Ryder Ripps first accused Yuga Labs back in August. While some support his claims, others have been vocal about their distrust.
so you’re telling me a fully tattooed hindu jew who only eats cheeseburgers named his company “yuga labs” after the “kali yuga”, a term neo nazi richard spenser has discussed for 7 years, and the logo for the company looks like a nazi emblem… just by coincidence? lol.. pic.twitter.com/ySBlaqAg0c
— RYDER RIPPS 🔜 (@ryder_ripps) August 5, 2022
What is Yuga Labs Saying About Allegations Towards BAYC?
Since this article was first published, Yuga Labs reached out to NFTevening to say they believe this video is not from Anonymous themselves, but likely paid for by a fiverr videographer.
Previously, when YouTuber Philion raised racism claims against BAYC, Yuga Labs co-founder Gordon Goner released a blogpost explaining why they were yet to respond to the continuous allegations. The main reason, he says, is that they are ‘insanely farfetched’.
Wow… #BAYC #BoredApeYachtClub#Anonymous @anonnewsco
Interested to know what’s in that pitch deck, Anonymous name-checking a lot of investors and brands here… @coinbase @yugalabs and@adidas among a few 😳https://t.co/mNGntXBfby— TheCryptoRat (@TheCryptoRat) September 27, 2022
Is this Anonymous Video Legit?
While the account claims to be anonymous, this particular video comes from an unofficial and unverified “Anonymous” account. Indeed, this specific youtube account has 315K followers and just 8 videos since 2015. Furthermore, their linked twitter account has just 16.5k followers.
Conversely, the official Anonymous youtube account has 3.67 Million subscribers. Additionally their twitter account has 8.1 Million followers. This led Yuga Labs to reach out to us to contest this video’s legitimacy.
That being said, Anonymous are…well…anonymous. It is well-known that the hacktivist group use multiple accounts and have multiple factions across the world. Plus, neither of these “Anonymous” accounts are verified on twitter. The legitimacy of this video is very much up for debate, with BAYC maxis denying it and Ryder Ripps’ avid followers supporting it.
Some believe the accusations are wild, another group are waiting for the pitch deck, and others have said nothing. So, was this Anonymous? Are they really coming for the Bored Ape Yacht Club?
With this ongoing feud inside the NFT industry, only time will tell. But what do you think?
