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Helsinki police took three young men into custody on Saturday suspected of launching a pepper spray attack at the Helsinki Pride festival. Officers are also looking for 2 to 5 other individuals suspected of participating in the assault.
Over 30 people were hit by the spray. No one was seriously injured, however, some of the victims were children.
Helsinki police officer Kari Aaltio said that the attack seemed to be meticulously planned.
“First the perpetrators released smoke over the parade. Then they went around the block and attacked parade participants with the spray. At least two types of gases were used. The perpetrators were dressed in black.”
Police are still looking for several other perpetrators. The suspects come from outside of Helsinki and are Finns. Police are trying to determine if they belong to a larger group.
The men have denied the accusations. They will be kept in custody until at least Tuesday.
An estimated 2,500 people took part in the parade which celebrates gay and lesbian culture.
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This is how they were describing the incident when everyone still took it for granted the perpetrators were non-white immigrants:
The parade was slightly marred by a small skirmish, in which bystanders attacked members of the procession with pepper spray. The incident took place at the corner of Aleksanterinkatu and Kluuvinkatu. Police held three men in their thirties in connection with the incident.
It’s not known how many marchers were affected by the spray, however it seems that no serious injuries were reported.
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