A Facebook event,probably created as a joke has attracted massive attention online. The event, scheduled to be held on September 20, is titled “Storm Area 51, they can’t stop all of us”. Over 1.4 million people have marked themselves as “going” to the event as of July 17, while 1.1 million are “interested”.
What is Area 51?
The New York Times describes Area 51 as a “secretive military site at the Nevada Test and Training Range, a unit of the Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada”.
The existence of Area 51 as a real site was acknowledged by the United States in documents released by the country’s Central Intelligence Agency only in 2013.
Conspiracy theories have long named Area 51 as a site devoted to the study, or captivity of aliens.
What does the Facebook event entail?
The description of the Facebook event reads: “If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens”. “Naruto run” is a style of running popularised by the Japanese anime series Naruto. The Protagonist Naruto Uzumaki sprints in his trademark style with his body bent forward and his arms outstretched behind him.
Are the authorities aware?
Yes. “The military is aware of the Facebook activity and has warned that any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous,” the New York Times report quoted the Air Force spokeswoman as saying.
The memes
The Facebook event sparked a series of memes all over the internet. Even brands are trying to cash in on the trend.
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