Anonymous demands "Justice for Clayton Miller" during Halifax protest

Remember, remember that a young man was found dead, face down in a Nova Scotia creek nearly 25 years ago and, to this day, questions remain about what led him there and how he died.

The family of Clayton Miller hasn’t forgotten, and have fought since 1990 to determine exactly what happened to their 17-year-old son. And now, the group of hacktivists known as Anonymous has questions of their own, and are using Guy Fawkes Day to pressure the government for answers.

The Chronicle Herald reports that Anonymous publicly rallied for a new investigation into Miller’s death as part of Wednesday’s Million Mask March – a global protest in which participants are urged to wear the distinct, mustachioed mask embraced by the group, which opposes government oversight.

In a series of YouTube videos, Anonymous members called for answers into Miller’s death 24 years ago, questioning the official version of events and pointing to accounts they say could suggest police knew more about the death than they had disclosed.

Maureen Miller, the Clayton’s mother, told CTV Atlantic the family was pleased that Anonymous had taken an interest in the case.

“Those are questions that we have and those are questions they found themselves. We didn’t give them those questions. It’s them studying the documents and coming up with questions,” she said.

The Anonymous movement has embraced November 5 as Guy Fawkes Day, a traditional British holiday connected to government subversion.

In 2012, Anonymous marked Guy Fawkes Day with a round of attacks on various websites, including several NBC websites and a Lady Gaga fan page.

Last year, the group launched the Million Mask March, during which demonstrators around the globe donned the iconic white and black masks and joined public demonstrations.

In Canada, the Million Mask March found a base in Halifax and elsewhere. This year, the march has returned. Photos were posted on social media throughout the day, some which included signs calling for “Justice for Clayton Miller.”

Clayton Miller was found dead on May 6, 1990, two days after he disappeared during a police raid on an outdoor party he had been attending in New Waterford, N.S.

According to an official investigation, Miller’s death was caused in part by hypothermia while lying in the shallow stream.

In its YouTube video, Anonymous questions the official account of the incident, including questions of his whereabouts in the days after the party and allegations that he had been in police custody. They noted that a search party has scoured the stream where Miller was found just one day earlier and had not spotted the body. Other accounts claimed police units were in the area at unexplained times.

In October, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality issued a request for the provincial justice minister to review Miller’s death and bring the “full score of the Medical Examiner’s office” to bear.

"A tragedy happened in New Waterford in 1990 and it continues to impact our community today," Mayor Cecil Clarke wrote in a letter later made public.

"Conclusive findings are needed for both the Miller family, who have suffered a tragic loss, and for the members of our police department who have endured much stress and pressure. Ongoing accusations of murder and cover up tear at the fabric of our community. This harms all of those involved."

Part of the mayor’s request was that the chief medical examiner probes all the previous work done on the case. Anonymous has released a second video supporting the investigation and asking the medical examiner to take his time with his investigation.

And during its Million Mask March on Wednesday afternoon, they continued to call for justice for Miller’s family.