If aliens really do exist then don't we as a species have a right to know about them?
That's the motivation behind a not-so-serious attempt to storm Area 51 in numbers so large that they can't be stopped, with people intending to break into the secret facility and see the extra-terrestrial life forms contained within, reports Perspecs.
Would people actually be able to storm into Area 51 and if so what are their chances of getting into the bits where the aliens are?
The Claim
The truth is out there and over 1.4 million people have said they'd storm Area 51 to find the aliens hidden inside, with a further 1.1 million interested in going.
If there's anyone who knows what's really going on in the world it's conspiracy theorists claiming aliens are real and being kept prisoner inside the classified base, so naturally a horde of people ought to break into the facility and confirm the conspiracies..
Never mind the military and their bullets, the organisers have deduced that if everyone does the "Naruto run" (based off a fictional cartoon character who runs like an ostrich) they will be able to outrun gunfire. Good luck with that.
This is all supposed to be going down on September 20 and different people have suggested various approaches for breaking into the base, including splitting off into groups depending on star signs and approaching from all directions, a strategem that would make the likes of Hannibal and Napoleon proud.
To be honest one and a half million people probably would constitute too many to effectively stop from getting into Area 51. They could do it, though quite how they'd get through reinforced doors designed to survive explosions is another question, the aliens are probably not kept in the welcome lobby.
The Counter Claim
It should go without saying that storming a highly classified US Air Force facility is a singularly horrendous idea, but apparently people need to be told not to do really dangerous things. The event is a joke, but the USAF aren't seeing the funny side.
A spokeswoman for the USAF said they were "ready to protect America and its assets", which is the nicest possible way of saying they will shoot you if you try to break in.
Contrary to some of the posts on the Facebook event page you are not "faster than their bullets" and they are well within their rights to shoot at you. The very nature of the event's "they can't stop all of us" add-on implies they'd be able to stop some of you.
They can arrest you and if you don't do exactly as they say they will kill you. It's not worth the jokes to make an attempt, particularly as the whole event is a joke anyway according to the organisers.
Don't be the one muppet who showed up to storm Area 51, you will be politely asked to leave and thereafter impolitely ordered to leave.
The Facts
As you might have guessed the plan to storm Area 51 is a joke, it's not meant to be taken seriously and is instead more of a platform for people to share jokes about their plans for getting inside.
You might also have guessed it is VERY illegal to trespass onto military bases in the US, if you survive the attempt the sentence would be six months imprisonment or a $500 fine, or perhaps both.
Area 51 has signs clearly stating that deadly force is authorised, so while they might try and arrest you they'd also have the option of shooting at you if you were considered an actual security threat.
The facility has been a goldmine of conspiracy theories over the years, with most ideas centered around the facility either holding aliens captive or having the wreckage of UFOs.
The conspiracies really took off in 1989 when a man named Bob Lazar claimed he'd worked as a physicist at Area 51 and taken apart a UFO during his time there.
The US government denies they keep aliens or UFOs at Area 51, but then again of course they'd deny it.
Meanwhile, the joke has gained some imitators with separate plans to storm Downing Street and the House of Commons.
