Wikipedia is shutting down its English language site tomorrow to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales tweeted the announcement yesterday, “Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!”

“The whole thing is just a poorly designed mess,” Wales said in an email to The Associated Press.

“I am personally asking everyone who cares about freedom and openness on the Internet to contact their Senators and Representative,” Wales said. “One of the things we have learned recently during the Arab Spring events is that the Internet is a powerfully effective tool for the public to organize and have their voices heard.”

“This is going to be wow,” Wales tweeted. “I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday.”

The Wikipedia move, a decision of the Wikipedia community, follows reddit which announced last week that it will go offline for 12 hours on the same day.

Twitter will not be going dark.

Over the weekend President Obama said he would not support SOPA. And key sponsors are edging away from the bills’ most controversial features.

Meanwhile, the law’s lesser-known relation, the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), is still scheduled for a vote in the Senate next week.