Facebook said that the removal of the “Storm Area 51” event was an accident.
The page, which has garnered over a million sign-ups, was removed from the social media website for several days.
It’s now live again.
“This was a mistake and the event page is now available again,” a Facebook spokesperson told Fox News.
Matty Roberts, who launched the event earlier this year, said that the page vanished “with no reason” for about two days.
After media outlets started reporting on the disappearance, Roberts told Fox, “the event was restored as if nothing happened.”
Roberts posted a screenshot on his personal Facebook page of a message that the company sent him claiming the event was removed because it violated Facebook’s “community standards.”
“I never got any reason behind the event being removed,” Roberts told CNET before the page was restored. “I created a sister event which amassed about 15,000 people before being taken down for no reason.”
Roberts said yet another page, which was for a festival that would be held somewhere else, was also taken down.
An Extraterrestrial Highway sign covered with stickers is seen along state route 375 on July 22, 2019 near Rachel, Nevada, and the secure U.S. Air Force Facility people apparently want to raid in September. David Becker/Getty Images
“I think it’s pretty reckless of Facebook, especially because I’m trying to direct people away from storming the base,” Roberts said. “And now I’ve lost my entire audience.”
The “Storm Area 51” event, subtitled “they can’t stop us all,” is slated to start on Sept. 20 and run for two days.
“We will all meet up in Rural Nevada and coordinate our parties. If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens,” Roberts wrote on the page, referring to the mystery surrounding the desert U.S. military base, which is located north of Las Vegas.
A pinned post on the Facebook page said, “Hello US government, this is a joke, and I do not actually intend to go ahead with this plan. I just thought it would be funny and get me some thumbsy uppies on the internet.”
The Defense Department has advised people to not come into the area.
″[Area 51] is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces,” Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews told the Washington Post. “The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.”
Sources told TMZ on July 15 that people who commit a crime near Area 51, including trespassing, will be arrested and prosecuted. One source said that local police are prepared to use tear gas and pepper spray to deter anyone near the premises.
Alien and Area 51 themed gifts are displayed for sale at the Little A'le'Inn restaurant and gift shop on July 22, 2019, in Rachel, Nevada. Photo by David Becker/Getty Images
UFO Expert Weighs In
A UFO expert said last month that he doubts people will proceed with the event despite the high number of sign-ups, but that if people do it could be a disaster.
Nick Pope, who has investigated unidentified flying objects for Britain’s Ministry of Defense, told “Fox & Friends First” that people “won’t go” but that it “shows the huge level of interest in this subject.”
Even in the unlikely scenario some people made it inside secure government facilities, they'd only find drones and next-generation aircraft, he said.
Pope also spoke to the British news outlet Metro, saying, “‘Storm Area 51’ clearly implies illegal trespass onto a military installation and that’s a recipe for disaster. I utterly condemn such an action. It’s irresponsible, illegal, and potentially dangerous.”
“Trespass on a military base is a federal offense and people run the risk of getting jail time, a fine and a criminal record,” Pope continued. “Warning signs at Area 51 even state that the use of lethal force is authorized.”
Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
