A viral Reddit post showed what it claimed to be an Air Force briefing on the Naruto run. A public information officer at Nellis Air Force Base told KNPR that "any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged". Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets". Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces", adding that "he U.S. On July 10, speaking with The Washington Post, Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews stated officials were aware of the event, and issued a warning saying: " is an open training range for the U.S. Response Ī map that details the US military land in Southern Nevada, showing Rachel, Hiko, Alamo, Armargosa Valley, and Las Vegas Government In the Netherlands, a left-wing meme page known as "Memes for the Masses" created "Storm the Education Implementation Office Headquarters" event as a protest to student loans. Copycat events such as plans to storm a genealogical vault of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Loch Ness, Bermuda Triangle and the Vatican City's archives were also created. Rapper Lil Nas X released a music video for the Young Thug and Mason Ramsey remix of " Old Town Road" about the planned raid. The event received 2 million "going" and another 1.5 million "interested" signatures as of August 22. The meme's virality caused Roberts to worry that he would receive a visit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Facebook page for the event was filled with thousands of satirical posts discussing topics like means of breaking into Area 51. The resulting meme quickly spread to other social media applications such as TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. Roberts stated the event had only received around 40 responses three days into the event's listing, before it suddenly and unexpectedly went viral. Lets see them aliens", referring to the distinctive running style of anime character Naruto Uzumaki and several other characters, who run with their arms stretched behind them, head down and torso tilted forward. The Facebook event wrote, "If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. The event was planned to take place in Amargosa Valley from 3 a.m. He created the event on Facebook on June 27, 2019. Matty devised the idea of creating the Storm Area 51 event after watching Area 51 conspiracy theorist Bob Lazar and filmmaker Jeremy Corbell on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on June 20, 2019. " Shitposting" is the act of posting content online with intentionally ironic or poor quality. Matty Roberts was a Bakersfield resident, and a moderator of the Facebook page Shitposting cause I'm in shambles. The event had an effect on businesses both locally in Nevada and around the United States, which prepared products for visitors and those attending the event.Īn attendee takes a photograph of a photography prohibition sign at the main gate of Area 51 Nevada law enforcement also warned potential participants against trespassing. Air Force spokeswoman Grace Manock stated government officials were briefed on the event and discouraged people from attempting to enter military property.
An estimated 1,500 people attended these festivals, according to state and local law enforcement.
Two music festivals were planned to coincide with the event: Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in Hiko, Nevada. On the day of the event, only about 150 people were reported to have shown up at the two entrances to Area 51, with none succeeding in entering the site. Roberts later stated his intentions for the event had been purely comedic, and disavowed responsibility for any casualties had there been any actual attempt to raid the military base.
More than 2 million people responded "going" and 1.5 million "interested" on the event's page, which subsequently attracted widespread media attention and caused the event to become an Internet meme. The event, created as a sardonic shitpost by Matty Roberts on June 27, 2019, asked Facebook users to band together and raid the site in a search for extraterrestrial life that conspiracy lore claims may be concealed inside.
Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us, also known as the Area 51 Raid, was an American Facebook event and series of music festivals that took place on and around September 20, 2019, in the desert around Area 51, a United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range.