After celebrating the team’s victory against Manchester United in the English Premier League, eight Arsenal fans were detained in Jinja, Uganda.
The supporters carried a symbolic trophy while donning the club’s red shirt.
According to the police, the march was held without a permit, violating public order.
Sunday’s game against a strong rival ended with a stunning last-second goal from Arsenal, giving them a 3-2 victory.
As a result, the Gunners now have a five-point lead over the competition, giving supporters worldwide hope that the club might finally end its 19-year wait to win the English Premier League.
On Monday morning, the Arsenal supporters were traveling in a convoy of five vehicles when they were stopped by law enforcement. One of them was carrying a trophy they’d purchased from a nearby shop.
An Arsenal fan called Baker Kasule told the local Daily Monitor news site: “I don’t know what we have done but we were simply celebrating our victory over rivals Manchester United.”
The area police chief and self-professed Arsenal supporter James Mubi told the BBC that he had not looked into the allegations against the supporters but questioned why they were celebrating when just half of the season’s games had been played.
“What would happen if an altercation with rival fans broke out? They did not inform the police to provide security for their procession.”
The Public Order Management Act, according to rights organizations, has provided police discretionary powers that have been utilized to repress citizens’ rights.
According to lawyer and rights campaigner Agather Atuhaire, Uganda’s police continue “to be high-handed even after the Constitutional Court nullified all the draconian provisions that gave them unfettered powers to restrict the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association and assembly.”
