Anonymous declares 'day of solidarity' with Black Lives Matter to protest police brutality

Hacktivists aligned with the Anonymous collective have declared a "day of solidarity" with the Black Lives Matter movement in protest of police brutality, according to a video statement posted to YouTube.

The video, which contains graphic footage showing the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of US police, lists the date of the action as 15 July and states that cyberattacks and non-violent demonstrations are planned.

"Anonymous has declared a day of action in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the victims of police brutality as well as alongside the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile," the statement reads.

"We are calling on a collective day of rage. A day of action centred around civil disobedience and the right to protest. To police departments across the United States. We are not your enemy. However, it is in your hands if you want us to stay that way or not. We will not be silenced and we will not be intimidated."

The latest campaign by Anonymous, which regularly launches cyberattacks and distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults as a means of protest, was announced by one prominent Twitter account promoting the hashtags #DayOfSolidarity and #BlackLivesMatter.

The statement also links to a 'Nationwide call to action' featuring a number of locations across the US where demonstrations will reportedly be held. These include San Francisco, Washington DC, Orlando, Los Angeles and Miami.

"We are calling upon the citizens of the United States to rise up and stand in solidarity with the people of Dallas, Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, as well as Baltimore and Ferguson," the group's statement continues.

"The entire global collective of Anonymous is outraged at these vicious murders. The time has come to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough. We are infuriated as we watch day after day, another human, murdered, because an irresponsible, corrupt system allows free reign to cops that continuously abuse their power."

Referencing its cyber-operations, Anonymous said the attacks have already started. Indeed, following the death of Sterling, 37, who was shot by a Baton Rouge police officer on 5 July, a hacker leaked a file of 50,000 allegedly stolen police records from the local station's database.

"To the St Anthony and the Baton Rouge Police Departments, we've already launched attacks on your virtual infrastructure," the statement added. "We are prepared to release every single piece of evidence that will expose your corruption and blatant disregard for human life.

"Once again we are calling upon the citizens of the United States, in conjunction with the Black Lives Matter movement as well as other civil rights activists, to participate in a day of action against the injustices of corrupt officers."

The Black Lives Matter campaign, which originated in the US, is quickly expanding across the globe. Most recently, it was revealed that demonstrations are now set to take place in the UK throughout London, Birmingham and Manchester over the next few weeks in solidarity with the movement.

Gallery: Photos of Black Lives Matter protests in Baton Rouge, Minnesota and across the US