Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of people attended an illicit rave in Manchester, England over the weekend.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Snapchat footage from the event showed packed crowds, who flouted social distancing guidlines, in a pavilion with what appears to be a DJ at the front of the tent.
An official statement shared by the Greater Manchester Police via Twitter said officers were “pelted with missiles as they attempted to intervene to stop the event.” The tweet does not clarify what exactly those “missiles” were or whether they were fireworks, bottle rockets, or some other kind of projectile. In the statement, Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Ian Pilling was quoted as saying, “The last thing we need is large gatherings such as this, as well as unacceptable attacks on officers attending the scene.”
“Quite frankly, it is beyond comprehension and I am incredibly disappointed that people feel they can gather in this way – blatantly flouting the rules,” Pilling continued. “I can honestly say that in 30 years of policing I have never seen anything quite as outrageous as this behaviour. It is appalling.”
A spokesperson for the police department stated that they did not shut down the event because the crowd violently reacted to their arrival on the scene. At the time of writing, the police have stated that they will be reviewing the footage of the illicit rave.
Credit: Manchester Evening News
