AZERIS PELT ARMENIAN STUDENTS WITH BOTTLES AND STONES DURING PFUR FESTIVAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.05.2008 12:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Every year Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia
conducts a "South-West Planet" festival where various associations
represent their national culture.

During the Armenian performance, some Azeri and Turkish young men from
the audience started throwing bottles at the stage. The OMON officers
pushed the troublemakers aside, however, the incident repeated when
Armenian youth gathered at the stage to support their friends. As
result, an Armenian girl was badly injured, since a bottle was thrown
exactly at her face. This outrageous act provoked a clash, a source
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The policemen tried to drive the students off the site, dividing
Armenians and Azeri-Turkish groups.

Nevertheless, bottles, stones and sticks were againt thrown at
Armenians.

The injured girl is in hospital now.

Several people were arrested but released soon.

"For some reason, the police took away Armenian big flags but did
not trouble Azeris. It looked like a planned action. There were some
400-500 policemen in addition to OMON officers. When the scuffle began,
there were more Azeris than Armenians at the site.

Provocative attempts were numerous but Armenians lost their temper
towards the end. The incident was stopped within an hour," a witness
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to Azeri side, the clash started when the Armenian ensemble
performed an Armenian folk song that Azeris claim to be theirs. The
Azeri students "reacted" by shouting out ‘Azerbaijan’ and waving flags.

A similar incident took place at last year’s festival.