Russian Police Mobilize To Stop Space Invader
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This past Monday, Moscow police responded to a suspicious object that was believed to possibly be an explosive device. They reacted swiftly, cordoning off the area and bringing in the bomb squad. Whatever the danger, the brave men and women of Moscow’s police force were on the scene! However, little did they realize that what they would discover on the scene was not a run-of-the-mill bomb, but something much more mysterious: a Space Invader!
Yes, the Russian police saved Moscow from a model designed after the iconic critters from the 1980s arcade game Space Invaders. The device was the work of a Russian street artist nicknamed “P183.” This is just one of many artistic stunts the “Russian Banksy” has unleashed on the streets of Moscow. To be fair, the Space Invader was shooting passing traffic with a laser…pointer.
The street artist commented on the stunt to RT.com, claiming it never occurred to him that the model might cause any problems.
I’m shocked at the police reaction. Who could have possibly mistaken a two-meter-wide space invader for a bomb? What astonished me the most is that when media reported this, they had a picture of actual grenade next to the text. You’ve seen the reaction of the people in the video recorded – it made them laugh! No one was suspicious about this!
In all seriousness, I’m sure the police had no choice but to take reports of a potential bomb seriously, because you sure as hell don’t want to be the guys that ignored it if it then goes on to blow up a bunch of passersby. Still, the whole thing is strangely reminiscent of the 2007 incident in Boston when promotional gizmos for Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force were met with a similar response. The moral of the story? Don’t go sticking weird electronic doodads up in public without maybe tipping the local authorities off first.
