Ten hostages on a bus held for 12 hours by a gunman were freed after the Ukraine president tweeted out an endorsement encouraging people to watch a movie about animal rights.
The bizarre intervention by President Volodymyr Zelensky was made after apparently a demand by the gun. President Zelensky posted a short video on twitter with the words: “Everyone should watch the 2005 film Earthlings.”
Shortly after the tweet, photos posted on social media showed the gunman lying on the ground and getting arrested.
All the hostages are unharmed.
The man has been named by police as Maksym Kryvosh, 44, who has previous convictions.
“Lutsk. Everyone is okay,” Interior Minister Arsen Avakov tweeted (in Russian) following the end of the siege.
“If I could make everyone in the world see one film,
Peter Singer, author Animal Liberation
I’d make them see EARTHLINGS.”
EARTHLINGS is a 2005 American documentary film about humankind’s total dependence on animals for economic purposes.
Presented in five chapters (pets, food, clothing, entertainment and scientific research) the film is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, featuring music by Moby, and was written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.
