27 men appear in court after brawl at Fiji prayer meeting
Updated
27 men from a remote village in Fiji appeared in court on Monday, two of them charged with rape, after a mass brawl broke out in opposition to a prayer session being held by an Assemblies of God church. Police say 15 people were injured in last Wednesday's brawl at Vanuakula, an inland village in northern Viti Levu.
Presenter Ricardo Morris
Speaker: Police Spokeswoman Ema Mua
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MORRIS: Police say 15 people were injured in last Wednesday's brawl at Vanuakula, an inland village in northern Viti Levu. The fight erupted over an evangelical prayer crusade that was to have taken place. Police spokeswoman Ema Mua says the men face a number of charges. Two of them are accused of raping a 17-year-old girl.
MUA: There was an incident when we received a report from the Western Division from a place called Vanuakula village, where 27 people are now charged with damaging property, unlawful assembly and two extra charges of rape. The incident occurred last week when apparently these 27 people are alleged to have damaged the musical instruments of members of the AOG church in that area, also assaulted people and raped a 17-year-old. These 27 people are being taken to court, the Rakiraki Court, for the hearing of the case.
MORRIS: Police say rocks were thrown, and people were beaten up and chased while they were practicing and playing drums. Police spokeswoman Ema Mua says the exact details of what triggered the attack remain sketchy.
