Mahilou authorities forbid to hug

The city authorities have banned to hold a free hugs campaign, organizers inform on the event page on VKontakte social networking website.

The official reason for the ban was the place of carrying out a flashmob pointed in the application, Novosti Mogileva reports.

The organizers initially planned to gather near the city hall and walk to the park givign out hugs to one another and passers-by. Under the law on mass events, organizers should receive permission of the Mahilou city executive committee to carry out the flashmob. They filed an application on October 16 and received an answer on October 24 forbidding them to have the flashmob in the city centre. The city authorities offered other places for the event: universities or the stadium on Cheluskintsev Street. The organizers decided it would contradict the sense of the campaign and chose not to hold a free hugs action in Mahilou at all.

According to the campaign page on VKontakte website, more than 500 people planned to take part in the event.