NTU responds after 100s fall for fried chicken rumor, show up on campus

Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) Hundreds of people lined up inside National Taiwan University (NTU) on Sunday after an anonymous netizen falsely promised to hand out free fried chicken and bubble milk tea, prompting the school to issue a statement condemning such activities on its campus.

The apparent prank stemmed from a post in an anonymous Facebook group earlier this month, in which an individual claiming to be a student in NTU's Atmospheric Sciences Department made a prediction about Typhoon Fung-Wong.

The poster claimed that Taipei would announce school and work closures for the typhoon on at least two days from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14.

The individual promised to give away 100 fried chicken cutlets and bubble milk teas if only one day of closures was announced, or 300 cutlets and teas if there was no typhoon holiday.

After the storm came and went without a typhoon holiday, the anonymous individual wrote a follow-up post, promising to distribute the 300 helpings of chicken and tea at NTU's Fu Bell on Sunday at noon.

Several hundred people lined up at the bell to cash in on the failed prediction, with some arriving early in the morning, local media reported.

As the crowd swelled, the university was forced to dispatch security guards to keep order near the bell until the afternoon, when the netizens began to realize they had been tricked and gradually dispersed.

In a statement released later that day, NTU said it could not verify the identity of the person who made the post, but warned that they should consider the accuracy and impact of information they spread online, lest they face legal consequences.

The university also urged the public to critically analyze information they see on the internet, so as to avoid falling for anonymous posts and rumors, putting themselves at risk and incurring costs for society.

As a university campus dedicated to teaching and research, any event that attracts large numbers of people unaffiliated with the university must be authorized in advance to ensure safety and order, NTU said, adding that it reserved the right to shut down unauthorized activities when necessary.