Two people climb to the top of New York City’s Empire State Building on Wednesday, unfurling a pro-peace banner as they reached the antenna area, and police later detain them. Multiple outlets report the climbers appeared to be Russian “roof-toppers” who are known via social media, and they unmasked themselves during the stunt. CBS News and other reports describe the banner message as pro-love and pro-peace, including a line that “the power of love” beats “the love of power” so that “the world will know peace.”
As they were at the top, several sources say the pair appeared to get engaged, while NBC News reports they also appeared to be affectionate. Accounts agree that New York police arrested the two once the stunt was noticed or after they came down from the antenna area. CBS News also notes that the incident raises security questions. The reports consistently frame the event as an unauthorized climb that results in custody by police.
