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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.
#AIR FORCE FUNNY PAGES FACEBOOK SERIES#
… The US Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets,” spokeswoman Laura McAndrews told the Washington Post.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 surrounding Area 51, a United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. “ is an open training range for the US Air Force and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces. The momentum has prompted the Air Force, which runs the installation, to respond and caution UFO enthusiasts against invading the area. I don’t believe they should be doing this and breaking the law. “I’m just a little scared, but bring it,” she said. “Right now, I’m getting up to 3,000 a day.”Ĭonnie West, owner of Little A’Le’Inn, which sells alien-themed food and novelty items, said her rooms are fully booked through the Sept. “I used to get about 500 to 600 hits a day,” he said. Joerg Arnu, who lives near Area 51 and runs a website that focuses on military secrecy, told KLAS he’s seen a huge spike in traffic. Meanwhile, publicity on the story has been good for surrounding businesses. It’s entirely satirical, though, and most people seem to understand that.”Īs of Wednesday, Roberts’ page has garnered 1.5 million pledges from around the world to join the effort and another 1.1 million “Interested.” “I just thought it would be a funny idea for the meme page,” he said. Roberts had previously communicated with NPR through Facebook Messenger, but under a pseudonym for fear of harassment.

“The FBI is going to show up at my house and it got a little spooky from there,” he said. The facility has been the subject of alien conspiracy theories for decades.Īs signatories for the page climbed higher, Roberts said, he grew worried the FBI would pay him a visit. The page calls for a public invasion of the secret Air Force-run facility near Groom Lake, Nev., at 3 a.m. “And then it waited for like three days, like 40 people and then it just completely took off, out of nowhere. “I posted it on like June 27th and it was kind of a joke,” Roberts said. The creator of a Facebook page calling for a public invasion of Area 51, the top-secret Air Force facility in Nevada, has finally spoken publicly about his joke getting out of hand.Ĭalifornia resident Matty Roberts, who created the Facebook page “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,” revealed his identity Wednesday to KLAS-TV of Las Vegas. Tiny fighting worms make one of the loudest sounds in the ocean Second human-sized jellyfish spotted off English coast sparks invasion fears
