100 people were detained in Russia after police mistook rugby match as brawl
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Authorities in southern Russia detained over 100 people when police mistook a game
of rugby as a brawl. Police apparently received a tip that a large crowd had gatheredat an empty sports ground on the outskirts of the city on Sunday afternoon. Around
70 policemen arrived at the scene to find a large number of cars parked around the
area, and what appeared to be a crowd that was watching two rival gangs fight each
other.
The police stopped the event and around 100 people were detained until they learned
that they were actually playing a game of rugby. Everyone was released within a few
hours, but authorities were displeased that they had not informed them of the sporting
event earlier. A spokesperson for the police said,"Given the difficult, troubled situation
in the region, at a time when counter-terrorism actions are being actively conducted,
citizens are obligated to inform [authorities] either verbally or in writing of their
intentions".
"The fact that police took us to be hooligans, this isn't the first time," said one of the
organizers.
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