They popped their balloon.
After flying a “spy” balloon over the Chinese embassy during the purported “balloon espionage” scandal between the United States and China, pranksters from the United Kingdom have been accused of attempting to trigger “World War III.”
On their TikTok channel, a video of their helium-filled fact-finding quest has garnered nearly one million views.
The prank was filmed on February 8 outside the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Marylebone, Central London. Josh Pieters, 29, one half of the online comedy team Josh & Archie, told Kennedy News, “We thought the Chinese would enjoy it because they are such fans of these balloons.”
The prank was a response to the ongoing dispute between the United States and China, which began two weeks ago when the United States fired down an unidentified item it thought to be a Chinese spy balloon. Chinese officials said the object was merely a high-altitude weather balloon, which provoked an international uproar.
Pieters stated that the prank was intended as “a bit of payback” for the Middle Kingdom’s claimed original act of spying.
“We saw that a balloon was shot down in the United States, so we reasoned that if China can spy on the West, why can’t the West spy on China?”
Later, he remarked, “Because flying to China would be time-consuming and expensive, we decided to fly a balloon over the embassy, which is technically in China.”
Josh Pieters remarked, “As the balloon ascended, we observed a man conducting what appeared to be a very serious business call atop the roof.” We have no idea what he was talking about, but it was obviously pretty advanced material.
The Kennedy News/Josh & Archie team
In the video, Pieters and his accomplice Archie Manners can be seen MacGyvering a crude air-spying device, despite their attorney’s warnings that the prank could be problematic. The pair purchases a large white weather balloon on eBay and inflates it with helium purchased from a nearby store.
They complete the imitation balloon by equipping it with a GoPro camera to record their airborne intelligence collecting mission.
Josh and Archie drove to the People’s Republic of China Embassy, which, according to them, is “one of the most secure buildings in the United Kingdom.”
Manners announces gleefully, “It’s time to go to China,” before adding that the trip was quite “dangerous.”
The comic duo, who have 1.45 million YouTube subscribers, then use a rope and weights to float the balloon into “Chinese airspace” before circling the consulate with it.
“We were apprehensive while inflating the balloon, but we were confident due to the frequency with which children carry balloons,” said Pieters.
According to reports, it was difficult to see what was taking place behind the windows, but he asserted that there was “no doubt that some deep, dark secrets were being kept behind them.”
“As it ascended to the peak, we observed a man on top of the roof conducting what appeared to be a very serious business call,” Pieters added. We have no idea what he was talking about, but it was obviously pretty advanced material.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until the authorities deflated their metaphorical balloon. In the clip, a police van appears on the scene, and four armed guards question the impromptu agents about their activities. One of the officials suggests that Embassy staff may find the stunt “offensive,” to which Manners responds, “Yeah, we definitely don’t want to offend the Chinese; that was not part of the plan.”
The soldiers tell them to “deflate the balloon” and “take it away” as the clip closes.
“It appeared that there was a rapid response to bring the balloon down, and we believe that has something to do with the Chinese noticing our reconnaissance balloon and being unhappy,” said a deflated Pieters regarding the failed reconnaissance mission. “We were prepared for a high-level response because we knew this was a serious matter, but when we saw the armed police officers we did get a little scared.”
“When they ordered us to bring the balloon down, we had already completed our surveillance,” he added.
“Flying to China would be time-consuming and expensive, so we decided to fly a hot air balloon over the embassy, which is technically located in China.”
The Kennedy News/Josh & Archie team
However, Pieters stated that he did not see why they had to shatter their bubble because “the Chinese are such fans of these balloons that they would have enjoyed it.”
“If they didn’t see anything wrong with flying a spy balloon over the United States, then they wouldn’t see anything wrong with us, the West, flying over China,” he stated. Intriguingly, China recently counteraccused the Biden administration of floating at least ten balloons over China’s airspace during the past year, a charge that the US government disputed.
Needless to say, the Archie & Manners hoax caused widespread concern on TikTok, with one anxious user expressing concern that “bro is trying to start a war.”
Another advised, “Please try not to cause a diplomatic incident!”
“Bro is literally performing acts that could alter the timeline of the world and cause wars,” feared one observer.
The trolls appear unconcerned with the consequences of their not-so-secret objective.
Pieters scoffed, “Many people say we could spark World War III, but we wouldn’t want to do that.” “It was merely a collection mission. The intelligence could be pretty important.”
He joked, “I believe it was a success, and if any world leaders would like our advice or assistance on future spying missions, we’re available.”
In a similar but somewhat less risky scam in 2021, YouTube pranksters successfully placed a dollhouse on Airbnb and received booking requests worth thousands of dollars.
»Pranksters fly “spy balloon” over Chinese embassy, accused of “starting WWIII”«