police incident in Moscow

[phommel]

Just saw this on atu2, what do we think about that!?!?!? I think it's a bloody shame. It's that it wouldn't be fair to all those fans, otherwise tehy should cancel the gig. At least Bono should make a very strong statement about that in the show! Or refuse to play until these volunteers are free again...


Police Incident Before U2's Moscow Concert
Posted: August 25, 2010
By: Matt McGee / @mattmcgee

We're seeing reports via Twitter that police shut down booths/tables belonging to some of U2's favorite humanitarian groups before tonight's concert in Moscow, and that one volunteer may have been arrested.

This Greenpeace Russia blog post seems to be saying that information tents belonging to Greenpeace, the ONE Campaign, and Amnesty International were closed by police, who said that volunteers "staged a picket" unlawfully (via Google Translate) outside the concert. The post says that Bono has been informed and that U2 is "perplexed" over what happened.

There were articles in Russian media this week saying that 2,100 police officers and Interior Ministry troops would be handling security and, indeed, many of the fan photos being posted from inside the stadium (like the one above right from @kardanik) show security almost everywhere you look.

Update: This story from Gazeta.ru says "several" Amnesty International activists who were holding up signs with humanitarian slogans were detained.

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, there's been some discussion of it in the Moscow setlist thread:

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f306/moscow-selist-party-part-1-a-207405-15.html

 

[Sicy]

I think a separate thread for this is ok. Who's got the baton pic?

 

[MrPryck2U]

Stay tuned

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, agreed. We shouldn't have to make people wade through pictures of bacon and vodka.

 

[BVS]

Will our local anti-Russian poster Mob come back to say "I told you so"?

 

[ramblin rose]

 

[corianderstem]

It's funny - it's easy to see that pic and be all , but maybe that's normal for any kind of concert or big gathering in Moscow?

 

[phommel]

Unbelievable this photo. And I saw more of them...
I didn't know that U2 fans could be so agressive! How would you otherwise explain these kind of photos?
Looks like there is more military there than U2 fans. Maybe these people could better help with cleaning up the mess after those fires, in stead of this.

 

[corianderstem]

I didn't know that U2 fans could be so agressive! How would you otherwise explain these kind of photos?

What makes you think the fans are being aggressive? I'm wondering if that kind of security is the norm for stuff like this there. Or pre-emptive.

But that's the only picture like this I've seen - have the others you've seen been more telling?

 

[Sicy]

It's funny - it's easy to see that pic and be all , but maybe that's normal for any kind of concert or big gathering in Moscow?

My Russian friend said that this is normal for large crowds.

 

[corianderstem]

Okay, that makes me feel a bit better!

 

[phommel]

HEy Coriander,
Me too.
That statement about U2 fans was meant in an ironic way of course

 

[corianderstem]

Ha! Gotcha - thanks for explaining, I definitely missed that!

 

[Steved1998]

Russia has to deal with more terrorism then western countries so the beefed up security isn't out of the ordinary.

 

[U2girl]

Yikes. Let's hope a bigger riot doesn't happen and U2 can play the show in peace.

 

[cathalmc]

Just back in the hotel now, before heading out (hopefully!) to the after-party. There was a massive number of different police, military, military police, God knows what everywhere around outside and inside the stadium. Thousands and thousands of the blighters marching around in formation all day and night (and they were sooo young, mostly teenagers). And I didn't see a single drunk, or even that many people drinking tbh.

Perhaps predictably. the police / army were completely unorganised for the GA queue. There was chaos for an hour in the early afternoon when they pushed the queue back, and back, and back away from the stadium. People kept scrambling for positions in the spot where the police said the queue would start - until they pushed it back again. It was fairly anarchic.

I was standing directly in front of that long line of police and army-looking guys across the middle of the pitch for most of the concert. It was really comical to watch them watching the concert, reading the Russian translations of Bono's speeches, getting their pics taken on their phones etc ...

I'll try and do a wee review later. But, and I don't know if this relates directly to what happened with the volunteers, during a storming version of Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono took the band's music right down low and started a quite extended singalong of Get Up Stand Up (For Your Rights), which the crowd really sang along to very loudly.

 

[vaz02]

I'll try and do a wee review later. But, and I don't know if this relates directly to what happened with the volunteers, during a storming version of Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono took the band's music right down low and started a quite extended singalong of Get Up Stand Up (For Your Rights), which the crowd really sang along to very loudly.

Sock it to em Bono

 

[corianderstem]

As always, thanks for the man-on-the-scene reports, Cathal!

 

[kramwest1]

I am glad to read that this concert went down mostly without incident. Yes, shutting down the NGOs wasn't cool, but for Russia, it seems like things went well.

 

[dstalksalot]

When was the last time U2 played Moscow? Sad that this sort of behavior is typical for this area. Makes me thankful to live where I do.

 

[Sicy]

Never.

 

[kellyahern]

As always, thanks for the man-on-the-scene reports, Cathal!

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

Cathal, thanks for the update!

 

[dstalksalot]

Never.

Wow!

 

[bella88]

Thanks for the update .

 

[bella88]

Thanks for the update .

 

[U2BROTHR]

From U2 360 Setlists, Tour Dates, Reviews & Photos at U2tours.com

U2 plays its first concert in Russia. Fans enter to a stadium that's heavy on police and security. Before the show, U2 learns that police have shut down Greenpeace, ONE Campaign, and Amnesty International booths outside the stadium and detained several Amnesty volunteers on the grounds that they were picketing illegally. They're later released without charge. Inside, it rains heavily for the first half of the show, prompting Bono to sing about the rain several times. All of the new songs except 'Stingray' are dropped for this new audience. Yuri Shevchuk, singer of Russian band DDT, joins the band on stage for Knocking on Heaven's Door. Mikhail Gorbachev is in attendance.

 

[Lila64]

As always, thanks for the man-on-the-scene reports, Cathal!

 

[U2FanPeter]

I've anyone has ever seen the Monsters of Rock video/broadcast with Metallica from the early 90's knows this level of security doiesn't compare.

I realize this has more to do with crowd size than anything related to U2, did McCartney have that much security when he did his outdoor red square show 6 years ago?