Armenia: Activists soak police in protest at water cannon

Yerevan's police officers didn't look best pleased about the soaking, but simply ushered the group away from the palace

Activists in the Armenian capital have turned the tables on police by drenching officers in protest against the use of water cannon.

The protesters used buckets, water pistols and drinks bottles to inflict their relatively jovial soaking outside the presidential palace in Yerevan, which was filmed and uploaded to YouTube. While some officers took a sprinkling, others were soaked through. The group says it was in retaliation for police using water cannon against crowds in June, during street protests against an increase in electricity prices. The video shows activists shouting: "We are the masters of our country!" - a slogan widely used during the June protests. Some people tell the police: "Today it's our turn to water you."

It seems the group took advantage of a traditional midsummer celebration called Vardavar, which sees Armenians throw water all over each other, although police aren't usually involved in the high jinks. The drenched officers gave the group a talking to at one point, but no other action was taken. One simply told them: "OK, you threw water, that's enough, now go away."

The Vardavar festival falls in June or July each year and while it's now considered a religious holiday, it has pre-Christian roots. It's considered normal to douse passers-by with water, or even to throw it through car windows, as the streets turn into one huge water fight.

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