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Young hooligans, pirate flag taken off Aurora mast

Young hooligans and the pirate flag were taken down from the mast of the Aurora cruiser

ST. PETERSBURG, October 16 (Itar-Tass) —— Young hooligans and the pirate flag were taken down from the mast of the Aurora cruiser, a source in the local law enforcement agencies told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

Two young men and a young woman spent five hours on the mast of the Aurora cruiser, the deputy chief of the information and public relations department of the police force in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region Elmar Shakhirzayev said. Young hooligans went aboard the cruiser at about 4 p.m. Moscow time and separating into several groups were seeking to climb the Aurora masts, he said. The Aurora crew thwarted an attempt at climbing the mast. Six people were detained and brought to the police station. The pirate flag and the pieces of metal tubes were confiscated from them. However, three hooligans managed to climb the mast and hoist the Jolly Roger.

The rescuers and police took the young hooligans off the mast. The offenders put up resistance. Neither drizzle nor cold winds (the air temperature is 7-9 degrees Centigrade in St. Petersburg) frightened them. The young hooligans were taken at about 9.40 p.m. Moscow time off the mast. The detainees were brought to the police station.

“The offenders do not confess in their crime, but just keep silence. So, they cannot be identified as members of the art group Voina (War) or any other groups,” Shakhirzayev said.

All detainees were charged under Article 20 Part 1 of the Criminal Code for petty hooliganism.

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