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Pair Who Threw Tomatos at Dutch Royalty Charged With Hooliganism

Crowds jostle to get a view of the Dutch king and queen arriving to the concert. Stephan Naber

Two Russian nationalists who threw a tomato at visiting Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at a concert in Moscow have been charged with petty hooliganism and may face 15 days in prison, officials said.

The tomato, thrown from the crowd outside the Moscow Conservatory, missed its target and the royal couple proceeded to walk the red carpet to a concert this weekend celebrating the Russian-Dutch relations, Interfax reported.

A young man and a young woman, members of the Other Russia political movement, shouted "You have Dolmatov's blood on your hands," referring to fellow opposition activist Alexander Dolmatov, who committed suicide in a Dutch deportation center earlier this year after being denied political asylum in the country.

The two tomato throwers have been arrested, charged with petty hooliganism and may face up to 15 days in prison.

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