Anarchists carrying the flag of the Japanese animé series “One Piece” stole the thunder from the multisectoral mobilization against corruption on Sunday and the whole shebang was obviously planned to muddle the message of a successful protest action.

The unruly mob called themselves Strawhat Pirates, which was adopted from the series. They intended to fuel mayhem similar to what happened in Indonesia. The Jolly Rogers flag bearing a skull was also a sign of protest in Indonesia.

The pirates in the Japanese series, led by their leader Monkey D Luffy, raise the Jolly Roger as a symbol of freedom against their government.

The association with the fictional Japanese situation and the recent events in Indonesia indicated an agenda, well-funded, that had the intent of inciting a confrontation.

Fortunately, the organizers of both the Luneta and EDSA Shrine rallies skipped Mendiola.

Another factor that prevented bloodshed was the maximum tolerance the police observed to the hilt.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the police could discharge their weapons only on his orders.

The Mendiola incident was clearly meant to hijack the powerful message of the peaceful protest rallies at the two venues.

Former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the message to the Palace was: “This (the Sunday protest) is the last wake-up call because we are near the tipping point if we are not already there. If they don’t listen to us, then some people will justify that they have to take some extra-legal measures.”

Whoever was behind the Mendiola chaos wanted to achieve one thing — which was to jeopardize the legitimate and peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and assembly to stop corruption, exact accountability, bring the corrupt to justice, and reform the government.

The violence was clearly not the handiwork of the organized Trillion Peso March protesters.

A hotel on Recto Avenue was looted. According to Remulla, the hotel staff, including cashiers and roomboys, were held up by the rioters. Police motorcycles were set on fire, traffic lights and public property were deliberately damaged.

About 100 of the mobsters were arrested, some as young as 15 years old.

“I don’t know what they were under the influence of. But it was like they went on a rampage afterward. They just barged into anything, held people up. They weren’t really protesting. Have you ever seen a protest where people get held up afterward? These were anarchists. They were just out to cause chaos,” Remulla said.

It would be up to government investigators to determine the anarchists’ agenda that seemed designed to be part of the theatrics going on but to redirect the public outrage.

The gullible youth who took part in the violence were acting less out of passion and indignation but more out of having been used by some elements.

What was clear was that money was spent to foment the violence, considering that most of the young rallyists appeared to be wearing their Christmas best.