Influencers face deportation over Bali face mask makeup prank

These social media influencers thought they were staging a clever prank in a Bali supermarket. But it backfired spectacularly and they now face deportation.

Two influencers are facing deportation after filming a face mask “prank” in Indonesia.

In the video — which the pair have since removed from their social media accounts — Josh Paler Lin and Leia Se are seen attempting to enter a supermarket in Bali. The security guard denies Se entry as she is not wearing a mask.

The pair then return to their car, and Lin uses makeup to paint what looks like a blue surgical mask onto Se’s face.

With the false “mask” on, the pair re-enter the supermarket and walk past the security guard.

While the video has been removed from their social media accounts, it has since been posted elsewhere:

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Coconuts Bali reports that Lin and Se, who are Taiwanese and Russian respectively, now face possible deportation from Bali. Their passports have reportedly already been seized by authorities.

In Bali, foreign nationals who are caught defying mask regulations face a fine of one million Indonesian rupiah, or $88.87. After a second violation, the foreign national may be deported.

“They are not only violating, but deliberately provoking in public, so it’s only proper to sanction them more severely, not just with a fine but also deportation,” said the head of Satpol PP Bali, the area’s police force, according to Coconuts.

Paler Lin and Leia Se (pictured) face being deported from Indonesia over this mask stunt.

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People were quick to admonish the Lin and Se for the stunt, which was shared with Lin’s 324,000 followers on Instagram (he also has 3.4 million subscribers to his YouTube channel).

In a post on Reddit bluntly titled “a foreigner in Bali doesn’t want to wear a mask, so she painted one on instead,” comments included, “they shouldn’t deport them, they should put them in a local jail,” and “I don’t care how cool you think you are or whatever garbage prank you’re trying to pull, doing stuff like this only serves to harm the public health.”

It appears the pair are now fully aware that their stunt didn’t land.

In a video posted to Instagram on Friday, Lin and Se apologised for their actions (accompanied by their lawyer).

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“We want to apologise for the video that we made,” says Se.

Lin says that the video was never intended to “disrespect” or “invite” people to disregard mask guidelines.

“I made this video to entertain people because I’m a content creator, and it is my job to entertain people,” he says in the clip.

“However, I did not realise that what I did could actually bring a lot of negative comments … and … raise a lot of concerns.”

The pair then “promise not to do it again,” with Lin adding: “I would like to invite everyone in Indonesia and Bali to always wear [a] mask for our own safety and health.”

However, the apology apparently hasn’t appeased many people.

“They said that they did not intend to encourage people not to wear masks, adding that the video was made ‘to entertain people,’” wrote one viewer.

“How incredibly dumb do you have to be to think this actually excuses it??”

This article originally appeared on Escape and was reproduced with permission