Protesters attack Maldives Yoga Day event
STORY: The crowd stormed a stadium where more than 150 people, including diplomats and government officers, were taking part in an event celebrating International Day of Yoga.
The protesters attacked participants and vandalized the property, one of the organizers, who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak with the media, told Reuters.
Earlier, the protesters brandished placards proclaiming that yoga was against the tenets of Islam.
Islam is the state religion in the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean with a population of about half a million.
Police responded with anti-riot measures and later used pepper spray and tear gas to control the crowd and secure the area, Superintendent of Police Fathmath Nashwa told Reuters.
Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident, Nashwa said.
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said a police investigation into the incident had begun.
