Footage of bizarre ritual at a CERN lab is probably a joke
The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (better known as CERN) is looking into a creepy video recorded on the Geneva campus of the physics lab, after the video bounced around online.
In the video, several hooded figures walk slowly into view, recorded from somewhere above, and take positions in a plaza in front of a statue of Shiva, a Hindu deity.
An unhooded figure, who appears to be a woman, then kneels in the center of the others. She lies down as one of the hooded figures holds up a shiny object, walks toward her, and appears to stab her. You can see all that in the first 25 seconds of the video, below, after which it's probably not worth your time.
You May Also Like
Though other clips of the video showed that the videographer fled and cursed as though he had just witnessed a murder. A CERN spokesperson told The Guardian the whole thing was simply staged by staffers or scientists who may have "let their humor go too far."
“Cern does not condone this type of spoof, which can give rise to misunderstandings about the scientific nature of our work," the spokesperson said.
CERN staff reportedly check IDs whenever anyone comes onto the campus. Mashable has reached out to CERN for comment.
The lab is home to around 8,000 engineers and scientists who conduct groundbreaking particles research, and is the largest particle physics laboratory on the planet.
Now they make viral videos, too.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
