Police looking for a rock festival organizers near Vilejka

The Minsk regional police on Monday defended a crackdown on a punk and hardcore open-air festival in the Vileyka district on August 24.

A festival-goer earlier said that some 100 to 150 people had been apprehended. She estimated the audience of the festival at 400 people. 

The regional police's press office said that the crowd had included around 150 people. According to the police, the organizers of the festival had failed to receive permission for the event. 

The press office said that the seven festival-goers had been arrested for drinking alcohol in a public place and appearing drunk in public. The police officers did not use force or special equipment while making the arrests and stopping the festival, said the statement. 

The police said that an investigation was underway to find who had organized the festival. 

The event, titled Burning Summer Open Air Festival, was to last two days. An advertisement on a social media site said: “We do not want to see nazis, racists and xenophobes at our event. You won’t be welcome there!”