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. 

Bank of England goes green
Fake news!!! But what else can you do when the central bank of a rather important country seems to have no clue whatsoever how to stop climate catastrophe? Bankers and climate activists alike were surprised when the UK’s central Bank of England…
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doctors for opening america
Doctors for Opening America
Inspired by our 2012 project against Shell, we tried making a website to warn Donald Trump's human-sacrifice victims that they were up next. The website crowd-sourced pro-death ads from "doctors", and we assumed people would get the dark joke and…
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Announcing the EcoVillage
Belfast Gets Brilliant
Belfast City Council, under pressure from citizens, cancelled a massive investor-focused development project in order to focus on social housing instead. They did so with an announcement at a big manufacturing conference, on bus stops and billboards…
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Peace Pipeline
The "Indigenous Pipeline Council" announced that they would be re-routing the Line 3 pipeline through wealthy, white sacred sites, rather than the planned route through indigenous lands. The IPC began demonstratively destroying Duluth, MN, beginning…
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Nats Never Die
On 30 September 2019, a horde of apartheid-era zombies rose from the grave to attend a "#NatsNeverDie rally" at the Cape Town Civic Centre. They were there to "support" the Cape Town city government's policies—increasingly similar to those of the…
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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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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.

GE Returns Billions
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Alberta Film
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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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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.

[ppt features and animation]
What Noah Knew: Old Models for New Conditions
The Great Deluge was surely seen as a terrible catastrophe by Noah's contemporaries. Yet Noah seized the day, and at the end of that day, Noah found himself with a monopoly of the animals.
Associated Hijinks: Halliburton's corporate solution to climate change
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
Introducing Electra
This presentation was given by "Yukiko Denki" and "Kendra Bamp" on January 17, 2024, at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
Associated Hijinks: AI meltdown exposes Toyota greenwashing

Videos

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

For standalone shorts, see our movies page.

BLO claims credit
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Daryl Hannah holds plastic pollution
Plastic Free with Daryl Hannah
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Meet MyCelia™ EcoWarrior Barbie
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Eco-doom carnival shocks and amuses
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Total Disaster
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starbuckscares
The milk we drink is tearing us apart
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TotalEnergies EACOP press conference ends in blood
Total fail! Wild bird stunt catastrophe
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ReHabitat-logo
Réhabitat ad greenwashes Total's East African Pipeline
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scaled
Newsmax told they're a bigger threat than the 9/11 hijackers
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newsmax
Newsmax tells viewers Afghanistan war wasted $2T
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stopnshop
Stop & Shop's end-of-the-world sale of cheap edible forest meats
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wikileaks
I have a bad case of diarrhea: the (other) Julian Assange Story
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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.

Starbucks Reverses Years of Dietary Racism by Ending Upcharge on Plant-Based Milk
[Emailed to journalists around 7am PST with accompanying video and posted on starbuckscares.com.] Justice Cup signals company’s progressive leadership in support of BIPOC customers For fifty years, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) has valued inclusivity and justice as much as it values the quality of its coffee. That’s why, starting January 1, 2022,…
Associated Hijinks: Starbucks "apologizes" for dietary racism - then actually does what we simulated
Official UN net zero by 2050 initiatives pranked by The Yes Men
(This release was originally published on the Glasgow Calls Out Polluters website, here.) In another elaborate stunt, the Yes Men have got a fake company accepted as members of two official UN initiatives where companies set ‘science-based’ targets to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  The initiatives, which have played a central role in discourse at COP26, also include real companies…
Associated Hijinks: Flight couture for the climate?
"Bespoke aircraft couture" company accepted into COP26 climate programs
YASAVA leads aircraft interior companies in joining COP26 "net zero" initiatives Bespoke flight couture company represents best of sustainable design FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 8 November 2021 YASAVA, the world's leading designer of bespoke couture interiors for private jets, have proudly announced their membership in two official COP26 "net zero"…
Associated Hijinks: Flight couture for the climate?
Guardians of the Galaxy do not represent Vanguard greenwashing
Marvel and Walt Disney denounce IP misuse to greenwash fossil-fuel financing Marvel Studios has been made aware of an unauthorized use of its Guardians of the Galaxy intellectual property by the Vanguard Group, Inc. The financial services firm introduced a so-called “Vanguardians of the Galaxy” program to mislead customers into believing they would make their investment products “real zero” and “…
Associated Hijinks: Vanguardians of the Galaxy fight supervillain investors
Vanguard assembles Sustainable Investments “super” team
Industry-leading policy innovations and new fossil-free fund exemplify Vanguard investors’ values of disciplined risk management VALLEY FORGE, PA (October 19, 2021)—To better achieve core values and meet rising investor interest, Vanguard today introduced a 10-year plan to enhance climate risk policies, and announced the formation of a Sustainable Investments (SI) department. In addition to…
Associated Hijinks: Vanguardians of the Galaxy fight supervillain investors
Total thinks bird murder unhelpful
Bird murder is unhelpful activism 09/13/2021 ALERT Paris — An unidentified group of environmental activists performed a fake TotalEnergies press event earlier today that resulted in the perceived death of an East African silvery-cheeked hornbill. It has since become understood that the RéHabitat program, its associated website, and its several email communications comprise a hoax for misleading…
Associated Hijinks: TotalEnergies press conference ends in blood
Total relocates African wildlife
TotalEnergies announces RéHabitat program to relocate wildlife affected by East African Crude Oil Pipeline Paris, September 13, 2021 — In accordance with the “Avoid – Reduce – Compensate” principles that underpin its Biodiversity Policy, TotalEnergies announces the launch of RéHabitat, a groundbreaking program to protect animal species impacted by the Tilenga oil extraction project and the East…
Associated Hijinks: TotalEnergies press conference ends in blood
Bank of England denial
  Press advisory: Beware fake Bank of England climate announcement 7 December 2020 Early this morning an unidentified party emailed a press announcement claiming to be from the Bank of England. The email and accompanying website falsely reported that the Bank had resolved to implement stronger measures to address climate risks. The Bank will not take…
Associated Hijinks: Bank of England goes green
NGFS endorsement
  NGFS welcomes the Bank of England’s climate-risk policy changes Paris, December 7th 2020 The Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) collectively supports the Bank of England’s announcement that it will screen and exclude carbon-intensive sectors from its Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme (CBPS). The decision stands as a first step to enable the…
Associated Hijinks: Bank of England goes green
Bank of England announcement
  Asset Purchase Facility corporate bond purchase scheme: press notice on updates to eligibility and sectors Information on how we are incorporating climate-related risk into our corporate bond purchases Published on 7 December 2020 Following authorisation from the Chancellor, the Bank is announcing today changes to the Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme (…
Associated Hijinks: Bank of England goes green
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…
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

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.

Apartheid-era zombies embrace new Cape Town leaders!
GOAL: Link current Cape Town policies with its Apartheid-era precedents, and turn squatter communities into activists.
SUCCESS: 8/10. Because of the simplicity of the action, articles about it had to communicate the action's point: that today's neoliberal policies are just a new version of apartheid. It also brought dozens of squatters into political action…
Associated Hijinks: Nats Never Die
Women's marches force tyrant to flee!
GOAL: Show way forward to ejecting Trump from office, and cheer up Americans about prospects.
SUCCESS: 3/10. While Americans were indeed cheered to see this spit in the face at Trump, the paper's pretense of providing a roadmap towards impeachment fell short.
Associated Hijinks: Trump is over - if you want it
Refugees to green Brussels by pedaling hard!
GOAL: Highlight the inhumanity of Belgium's precarious, provisional asylum policies for refugees from war-torn countries by coming up with the ultimate precarity solution.
SUCCESS: 6/10. The point was made clearly in several articles, while others focused instead on the Yes Men or other tangential things.
Associated Hijinks: RefuGreenergy
Terrorism-Topping Tool Tweaks Top Europe Brass!
GOAL: Get politicians to stop trying hysterically to fight fire with fire
SUCCESS: 6/10. While the press covered it well, it's not clear the parliamentarians in attendance got the joke.
Associated Hijinks: A Total Terrorism Solution For Europe
Californians can simply skip showers, beef industry says!
GOAL: Publicize the little-known fact that beef uses half the water in drought-ravaged California. (What's that almonds thing about?)
SUCCESS: 8/10. The joke was so preposterous it got considerable coverage, both by those who took it seriously and those who instantly saw right through it.
Associated Hijinks: Skip Showers for Beef
Loathed Ag Company Gets Critic Fired!
GOAL: Publicize a looming decision on whether Monsanto could plant GM corn at a large scale in Mexico.
SUCCESS: 8/10. It's likely this action played some part in the movement that stopped Monsanto's bid.
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