Cosfest XVIII Fans Saw 3 People In Hazmat Suits Vandalising Artwork At Event
Cosfest XVIII is arguably one of the largest cosplay events in Singapore, welcoming hundreds of eager fans who dress to the nines as their favourite anime and manga characters.
This year’s edition, however, saw at least 3 dubious ‘cosplayers’ in attendance.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (21 Jul), Cosfest announced that the Singapore Police has 3 suspects in custody for performing “acts of mischief” on event-goers.
3 suspects wore white hazmat suits to disturb cosplayers
They allegedly donned white hazmat suits to conceal their identities as they performed these “acts of mischief” on event-goers:
- Destroyed artworks
- Sprayed unknown substances
Eagle-eyed netizens reported them roaming around to kachiao long-time fans of the event, and “disturb” those who were tending to their booths.
2 people in the hazmat suits were “apprehended on the spot” while the third suspect “fled but left his phone behind”.
Were caught on the spot
Thanks to social media posts, and viral videos of them in action, the authorities moved quickly to apprehend them as investigations are ongoing.
Statements from the event go-ers who were affected in the case have also been taken.
2 out of 3 suspects allegedly have “no links to the cosplay community” while 1 adult in custody had “past involvements”, confirms the page.
Allegedly “paid by someone”
Cosfest also claims that the suspects have stated that they were “being paid by someone” to carry out these acts during the event.
However, the page advises fans to refrain from speculating on the identities of the mischief-makers as this might be detrimental to the case.
An unfortunate case
We think that everyone should have the freedom to express themselves freely, without judgement — especially at a cosplay event that celebrates individuality and artistic expression.
Thankfully, these 3 mischief-makers were apprehended swiftly by the authorities.
We wish Cosfest all the best in planning yet another successful event next year — sans the unwelcome guests of course.
Featured image from Cosfest Asia on Facebook.
