Caucasus men should stop shooting in the air at weddings - ex-minister Zorin
MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - People with origins in the Northern Caucasus should stop the tradition to shoot at weddings and the Moscow authorities should regulate the movement of weddings corteges, Vladimir Zorin, a member of the presidential council on ethnic relations, who was Russia's nationalities minister in 2001 - 2004, said.
"Apparently, our Caucasus men should stop this tradition, both in their native region and in Moscow, where, as we know, it is not accepted to fire shots in the air during festivities," Zorin said commenting on the detention of residents of Dagestan who fired shots in the air in a wedding cortege in Moscow.
The expert believes the Moscow authorities, representatives of Caucasus diasporas, and the law enforcement agencies should work out a unified approach to the issue of celebrations of weddings and other family events.
The press service for the Interior Ministry's Main Department for Moscow earlier told Interfax that the police had blocked a wedding cortege whose participants had fired shots in the air in central Moscow.
"The wedding cortege, composed of nine cars, was driving on the Leningradsky Prospekt in the direction of Tverskaya Ulitsa. Participants of the cortege began firing shots in the air using traumatic pistols," the press service said.
The traffic police tried to stop the cortege, but the drivers refused to pull over. Traffic police officers called for help and the cars eventually pulled over in the area of Mokhovaya Ulitsa.
"The cars were blocked. The police are working with each person who used weapons individually," the press service said.
"Some 15 people have been taken to the Tverskoi interior affairs department, where they will be questioned. The police are also checking the legality of their ownership of the traumatic weapons using databases. The nine cars have also been seized and will be inspected," the Interior Ministry's Main Department for Moscow has reported.
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