Russian Daredevils Scale Empire State Building, Unfurl Peace Banner
Quick Look
- Russian artists Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus climbed the Empire State Building's spire, unfurling a peace banner.
- The stunt, possibly a marriage proposal, ended with their arrests.
- Security at the landmark is high.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Russian artists Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus climbed the Empire State Building's spire and unfurled a peace banner. The stunt, which may have been a marriage proposal, concluded with their arrests.
A pair of Russian daredevil artists climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s towering spire in New York on Wednesday to unfurl a large banner urging world peace in what appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrests.
Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and documenting their time in the sky on social media, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus hung onto the landmark skyscraper’s antenna spire near the glowing red light at its tip some 1,454 feet (443 metres) above the pavements of midtown Manhattan.
They held a black banner with a message in all-capital white letters that flapped in the wind that said: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
It was not clear how they got up there.
New York landmarks including the Empire State Building have heightened security since the World Trade Centre attacks in 2001.
Open Questions
- How did they access the spire?
- What were the specific charges?






