Spanish youths fined for late-night Ludo session
Eight people were each fined €101 ($130) last Wednesday for playing the Ludo board game late at night in Malaga by police who had received complaints from neighbours about the "noise made by the dice".
The group of friends aged between 20 and 30 had met in a local plaza at around 11pm and were still playing three hours later, according to local daily Malaga Hoy.
Four people were involved in the game while the others chatted and sipped non-alcoholic drinks.
It was then that police swooped to bring an end to their board game session.
29-year old Conchi Toro told reporters that officers had informed her that they "couldn't drink anything" and that "they had received complaints from neighbours about the sound of the dice being shaken."
Noting that the group had two bottles of water and an empty can of cola, "the police then started to hand out fines for us to sign. We were stunned because we hadn't even been shouting, just chatting," said Toro.
Members of the group protested that they had been frequenting the area for over 25 years but the police informed them that there were too many people and that they could not hold "a get-together like this."
The written fines cite "a concentration of people drinking beverages in an unauthorized area."
Members of the group described the fines as "excessive" and said that they would appeal due to inability to pay.
"Apart from two of us, we're all unemployed," said Toro.
Aina, one of those fined, said that they had been "quietly sitting enjoying the fresh air and not making a fuss" and that they had been fined "for two plastic bottles of water that weren't even full."
"What's next?" she added.
In July, authorities in the neighbouring city of Seville took the unusual decision to ban dominoes and dice games in outdoor cafe areas, as part of a wider plan to crack down on noise in the city.
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The group of friends aged between 20 and 30 had met in a local plaza at around 11pm and were still playing three hours later, according to local daily Malaga Hoy.
Four people were involved in the game while the others chatted and sipped non-alcoholic drinks.
It was then that police swooped to bring an end to their board game session.
29-year old Conchi Toro told reporters that officers had informed her that they "couldn't drink anything" and that "they had received complaints from neighbours about the sound of the dice being shaken."
Noting that the group had two bottles of water and an empty can of cola, "the police then started to hand out fines for us to sign. We were stunned because we hadn't even been shouting, just chatting," said Toro.
Members of the group protested that they had been frequenting the area for over 25 years but the police informed them that there were too many people and that they could not hold "a get-together like this."
The written fines cite "a concentration of people drinking beverages in an unauthorized area."
Members of the group described the fines as "excessive" and said that they would appeal due to inability to pay.
"Apart from two of us, we're all unemployed," said Toro.
Aina, one of those fined, said that they had been "quietly sitting enjoying the fresh air and not making a fuss" and that they had been fined "for two plastic bottles of water that weren't even full."
"What's next?" she added.
In July, authorities in the neighbouring city of Seville took the unusual decision to ban dominoes and dice games in outdoor cafe areas, as part of a wider plan to crack down on noise in the city.
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