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COPENHAGEN - A free concert with US rap artist Akon in a Danish shopping mall ended in a violent melee yesterday after fans who were evacuated in mid-performance by a fire alarm turned on police.
Some 2,000-3,000 people gathered at the Fields shopping mall outside of Copenhagen to see the 34-year-old American Music Awards winner, many lining up hours before the concert. Latecomers were turned away at the door.
"It was a free concert and we knew that many people would come, but there were a lot of people there, more than we had expected," Fields director Jens Geppel told Reuters.
Geppel said 1,000 people were let into the concert area of the mall while the others were forced to watch from afar as Akon started his performance. The fire alarm - which later turned out to be false - sounded during the third song and police began evacuating protesting fans.
After the evacuation, police fought several dozen disappointed fans who pelted them with bottles and rocks.
Police said they arrested eight people during the turmoil, while emergency services had to treat a number of others injured in the commotion. No serious injuries were reported.
"It's a pity that not everyone got to see the concert," Geppel said, adding that the mall would analyze what had gone wrong.
- REUTERS
