Hijinks/

All hijinks... ever

These are projects carried out over the years by the Yes Men and their student and organizational partners.

For a timeline of when and why they occurred, see our timeline (coming soon). For why we did certain actions, and how well we think they succeeded, see our press pages. For the full, gory stories behind actions, take a peek behind the curtain. 

Weapons to Windmills
Early Monday morning, journalists gathered for a press conference at the Zurich Hauptbahnhof were treated to a surprising announcement: the Swiss arms manufacturer RUAG would no longer make and sell arms abroad. Given the state of the world, said “…
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Yenning for a Coal-Free Future
One day after a hoax impersonation shamed Mizuho and other banks for financing new coal power plants against their own industry standards, the real Mizuho announced that they plan to limit their coal-financing policies in the future. Sadly, that…
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BlackRock Does the Right Thing
In the early morning of January 16, 2019, a few hours before announcing their fourth-quarter 2018 earnings, Laurence Fink, CEO of the biggest asset management company, received an email copy of his annual letter to investors. There was just one…
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Trump is over - if you want it
Early on January 16, thousands of commuters in Washington, D.C. were handed a spitting image of the Washington Post (click for online version), dated May 1, 2019. In the paper — the result of a women-led six-month project — Trump had fled office…
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VW Commits to Ending Fossil Fuel Addiction
In the wake of their criminal diesel emissions scandal, a repentant “Volkswagen” announced that they were going to launch an all-out war on climate change—starting with the behavior at the root of the problem: our addiction to fossil fuels. The…
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Somos El Muro (We Are the Wall)
A group of ultra-right, pro-Trump Mexicans announce a solution to Trump's wall-building difficulties: they themselves will be that wall. In fact they already are: xenophobic Mexicans routinely make life difficult for Central American migrants, and…
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RefuGreenergy
In central Brussels, hundreds of spectators witnessed, with approval or horror, a slick new tech startup, RefuGreenergy, that converts the power of bicycling refugees into electrical energy—giving the refugees 24-hour periods of amnesty and 1.60…
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DNC Takeback
One week after Democrats in Congress announced their new "populist" agenda—“A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future”—the Yes Men, posing as DNC representatives, took to the stage at the Politicon conference in Pasadena, CA (and live…
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TERD
Trump Election Reporting Devices
The morning after the November 2016 election, our plan was to announce, in the name of the defeated Trump, a new Trump voting machine that would make sure the 2020 election went better than this one. The idea was to shock triumphant Clinton voters…
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Anger Marketing at Roskilde
140,000 people came to see some of the biggest musical acts, speakers, and events at Roskilde Festival 2016, not far from Copenhagen, Denmark. But many were dismayed to find posted signs at entrances stating the festival would be collecting and…
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NRA Shares the Safety
Watch film here! At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, National Rifle Association spokesperson Hensley Cocker proudly unveiled Share the Safety, a “buy one, give one” program designed to get guns into the hands of…
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UN Ends the War on Drugs
During the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem—whose dates strangely centered on April 20, or 4/20—the LA Times quoted the UN's new plan to decriminalize marijuana, end the war on drugs, and puts its…
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Fake websites

Because a so-called fake website started the Yes Men, we've made dozens more over the years.

These websites represent our opponents more transparently than they ever present themselves — making these true websites, not fake! Also, whereas sinister people use trickery to get outcomes, we reveal hoaxes to mobilize.

Midwest Generation
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NYC DEP website
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Environment Canada
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Apple CF
Conflict-Free iPhone
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World Economic Forum website
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NYPost-se.com
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US Chamber Goes Green
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Fake New York Times
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SurvivaBall
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Beyond Petrol
Beyond Petrol
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Coca-Cola Corporate
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Cargill Harvest
Cargill
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Talks

These are the presentations we've made at corporate conferences over the years.

For maximum effect, wear ill-fitting shoes and slouch in a folding chair as you click through them.

Gilda
Risk, Reality, Reason: a corporate standard for Acceptable Risk
A more complex case is IBM’s sale of technology to WWII Germany for use in identifying Jews. But no one can deny they were profitable, and although this issue remains a skeleton in the closet, in retrospect it is quite clearly golden.
Associated Hijinks: Dow's Golden Skeleton
webpolice
Safety in Danger: Protecting the Child Within
Like literal children, citizens don't always want to be kept safe from "real life" things. Sometimes they struggle and scream against being kept safe, sometimes with ear-piercing shrieks that can make your skin crawl.
Associated Hijinks: The Web Police vs the Yes Men
The WTO is disbanding!
[This is the text delivered to the group of accountants in Sydney on May 21.] Friends:
Associated Hijinks: The end of the World Trade Organization
​hamburger
New Horizons in Third-World Agribusiness Globalization
With the use of this technology, a single hamburger, for example, can be eaten more than ten times, providing a cumulative total of three times the nutritional value of the original “fresh” hamburger.
Associated Hijinks: Let Them Eat Hamburger
Finland - Globalization of Textile Trade
Globalization of Textile Trade
By forcing the issue, the North not only committed a terrible injustice against the freedom of the South, but also deprived slavery of its natural development into remote labor.
Associated Hijinks: The WTO's Golden Phallus
salzburg
Trade Regulation Relaxation from 1790 to Present
Systemic Trade Barriers are the most insidious form of free-trade barrier. These are deep barriers, at the level of systems and structures, at the very core of the governments of most countries today....
Associated Hijinks: The WTO proposes the end of democracy

Videos

These are videos that reveal actions, are used within actions, or come out of actions.

For standalone shorts, see our movies page.

The Black Snake Takes Over Duluth
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IPC-abortion
Pro-life together
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Teeing up
Teeing up
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Don't drop the casket
Don't drop the casket
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IPC Announcement
IPC Announcement
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zombies
Community Organizing in Cape Town
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zombie
Apartheid-era Zombies celebrate mass evictions in Cape Town
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Faking VW apology
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Somos El Muro
SomosElMuro Video
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Refugreenergy
Refugreenergy reveal video
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Refugreenergy
Refugreenergy: there's gold in their legs
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DNC Takeback talk and Q&A highlights reel
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Fake press releases

These are fake press releases used in our actions.

Note: we always reveal our fakes in short order — and that's what distinguishes these from the bad kind of fakes. For why we did certain actions, and how well we think they succeeded, see our press pages.

Giving doctors a voice
President Donald J. Trump Launches Initiative to Give Doctors a Real Voice    OPENING AMERICA AGAIN   |   Issued on: May 13, 2020 Today, the White House Reopen America Task Force launched an exciting new initiative, DoctorsForOpeningAmerica.com, to give medical professionals a long-missing voice in supporting the President's plan to reopen America. "So many doctors, nurses, and EMTs have…
Associated Hijinks: Doctors for Opening America
Sunflower EcoVillage Brochure
It was after we distributed these brochures (pdf) all over the Belfast Chamber of Commerce's "urban revitalization" conference that the Belfast City Council threatened to sue PPR and to involve the police.  
Associated Hijinks: Belfast Gets Brilliant
Enbridge response
On Enbridge website Terminal 19 Miles of Line 3 Replacement Project Will Not Displace Duluth Businesses, Residents October 28, 2019 Company presentation caused dismay among corporate and government leaders DULUTH, MN - On Saturday, October 26, representatives of the Indigenous Pipeline Council (IPC) gave a presentation to local business and political leaders in Duluth. They claimed that the…
Associated Hijinks: "Fake" releases
Enbridge-funded front group response
Statement from Minnesotans for Line 3 About the IPC Plan for Duluth On Saturday, representatives of the Indigenous Pipeline Council, a Native-led energy solutions company, gave a presentation to members of the Duluth business and political community. Some supporters of Minnesotans for Line 3 were in attendance. The IPC described their plan to reroute the last 19 miles of the Line 3…
Associated Hijinks: "Fake" releases
IPC official launch release
On Indigenous Pipeline Council website Peace Pipeline Signals New Era for Energy Transport Duluth terminal segment a great leap forward in technology, justice Duluth, MN — The Indigenous Pipeline Council has launched a promising new vision for the future of energy in America. Before a rapt local audience on Saturday, the native-led IPC outlined plans to reroute the last 19 miles of…
Associated Hijinks: "Fake" releases
One angry Cape Town
  CITY OF CAPE TOWN 1 OCTOBER 2019 STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR DAN PLATO Executive Mayor Dan Plato denies apartheid link, announces sweeping new policy to address segregation A misleading and slanderous protest in the Cape Town City Centre yesterday tried to link Mayor Dan Plato to the apartheid-era National Party. Today we announce a suite of major policy…
Associated Hijinks: Nats Never Die
EP Denial
Human Error Caused Unauthorized EP4 Leak EP SECRETARIAT -- The EP Association wishes to apologize for confusion caused by a rough-draft Equator Principles 4 that was mistakenly sent yesterday to all Equator Principles Financial Institutions (EPFIs) and members of the press. It was the result of human error and misplaced hopefulness, and should not be construed as the final edition of the EP4…
Associated Hijinks: Yenning for a Coal-Free Future
Mizuho Denial
(View in browser) May 22, 2019 Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. 1-5-5 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mizuho and Other Banks Victimized by Environmentalist Hoax TOKYO -- On Monday morning, a press release announced a new edition of the Equator Principles, the industry guidelines for environment and human rights compliance. However, this press release was fake, made to look like it was sent…
Associated Hijinks: Yenning for a Coal-Free Future
EP4 Released
View in Browser Equator Principles 4 Released Targeted Update Brings Noncompliance Accountability to Industry Guidelines on Human Rights and Climate Impact May 21, 2019 | EP Secretariat | EP Association News EP ASSOCIATION -- Following four phases of intensive stakeholder engagement, the Equator Principles Association is pleased to share the fourth iteration of the Equator Principles (EP4) …
Associated Hijinks: Yenning for a Coal-Free Future
"BlackRock" responds
Advisory: Hoax Letter Not from BlackRock CEO Company Release - 1/16/2019 5:00 PM ET NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On January 16, an unidentified party sent an email to the news media and several thousand BlackRock employees containing what looked like Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Laurence D. Fink’s Annual Letter to CEOs. This was in fact a hoax designed to confuse journalists and the…
Associated Hijinks: BlackRock Does the Right Thing
Fake Fink letter
Larry Fink’s Letter to CEOs "Purpose In Action" Dear CEO, At the start of each year, I have made it a tradition to write to you, the leaders of companies in which our clients are shareholders, to advocate governance practices that we believe will maximize long-term value creation. This year, while celebrating our 30th anniversary amid a turbulent market, I took time to reflect on new areas of…
Associated Hijinks: BlackRock Does the Right Thing
Second fake release (ERRATA)
ERRATA     An earlier email from the Washington Post erroneously stated that President Trump has departed the Oval Office. We stand corrected (by ourselves, as well as dozens of Twitter users). This event in fact occurred three months and a half from now, possibly. Sadly, many thousand print copies of the Post, hurriedly assembled in the wee hours, were distributed on the…
Associated Hijinks: Trump is over - if you want it

Real press

Here's some press our projects have gotten, and what the goal was each time in getting it.

We've also guesstimated how successful some projects were in reaching their goals. These are totally just guesses; we have "metrics," sometimes, but those only go so far.

Loathed Ag Company Gets Critic Fired!
GOAL: Inform the public of a looming government decision on whether Monsanto could plant large-scale genetically-modified corn fields in Mexico.
Associated Hijinks: Monsanto and the Carnival of Corn
Broken rig prop sprays dowager, broken website sprays company!
GOAL: Raise profile of Shell's Arctic drilling program, so as to drum up pressure on Obama to stop it.
SUCCESS: 8/10. It definitely publicized Shell's Arctic program, and ruined their "let's go" branding to boot. Org was well positioned to build on the success.
Associated Hijinks: Shell's Epic Party Fail
McD's, cops defuse racial tensions with high salt, trans fats!
GOAL: Add a bit more attention to the campaign to end New York's Stop-and-Frisk policy. 
SUCCESS: 8/10. It definitely added a bit more attention to the campaign, which was ultimately successful, though the specific call to action could have been clearer.
Associated Hijinks: Three Strikes, You're In!
Successful stunt somewhat saves squat!
GOAL: Embarrass the city council into disallowing the squat's eviction.
SUCCESS: 10/10. The squat was saved for a full three years. It wasn't only (or especially) the action and the embarrassment it caused directly, it was the pressure exerted by neighbors who were galvanized by the action.
Associated Hijinks: A Gift for Amsterdam
Coal cares as deeply as children near coal plants can breathe!
GOAL: Draw attention to American Lung Association study linking coal to childhood asthma, that had gotten scant press attention.
SUCCESS: 9/10. Not only did the project itself get loads of attention, but Peabody's legal threat got even more, all of it pointing to the study in question.
Associated Hijinks: Coal Cares
Chevron worst thing on the planet, joke campaign demonstrates!
GOAL: Spread public outrage against Chevron and thereby effect change.
SUCCESS: 7/10. The energy with which the public participated demonstrates the amount of outrage spurred. It could perhaps been more tightly focussed.
Associated Hijinks: Chevron's $80 million ad campaign gets flushed
Public pressure makes Obama a Sanders!
GOAL: Convey that people will need to pressure Obama 
SUCCESS: 7/10. Some outlets got it, but for many it was just fun.
Associated Hijinks: New York Times Special Edition
Exxon to burn humanity should conventional sources kill us!
GOAL: Push all the way, dramatically, the question of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
SUCCESS: 8/10. Though the actual project got considerable press, and the speech was reprinted widely, its real impact came as a scene in The Yes Men Fix the World, ensconced as it was in the drivel of free-market apologists.
Associated Hijinks: Exxon's climate-victim candles
Drop ice on poles, no poor in France, French right declares!
GOAL: These two actions aimed to demonstrate the hypocrisy and actual loyalties of two horrid French politicians, one of whom served as the right-wing president's spokesperson in the 2008 elections.
SUCCESS: 8/10. The viral spread of politicians nakedly negating their public stances demonstrated just whom they were serving. Follow-through was organic.
Associated Hijinks: Stinging some desperate French politicians
McDonald's predicts end of world, changes!
GOAL: Demonstrate that the only possible course of action a company like McDonald's could follow if it honestly faced its effects would be closure. That, in turn, was intended to show that regulation is necessary, and that CSR is a crock.
SUCCESS: 5/10. The project was a success in the gamer press, but barely broke through to the mainstream. It did however…
Associated Hijinks: McDonald's turns revolutionary
Dow goes where no corporation has gone before (nor ever will)!
GOAL: Get "Dow" associated with "Bhopal catastrophe" in the minds of Americans. (This was the explicit aim of Greenpeace with this action.)
SUCCESS: 10/10. Greenpeace counted 600 articles in the US press, all of which had to explain why Dow was the target of this hoax.
Associated Hijinks: Dow does the right thing
General press about the Yes Men
While most of the press we've gotten has been for specific projects, here are some other things that have been written about us. Coming soon!
Associated Hijinks: About us