Half-naked ‘Spartans’ attract attention of Beijing police

Beijing: A salad store paraded dozens of half-naked Western men dressed as Spartans through China’s capital as a publicity stunt, causing a stir and drawing a police crackdown.

About 40 mostly blond- and brown-haired men wearing bronze shorts and capes in the style of the ancient Greek city of Sparta marched through central Beijing to an upscale shopping area on Wednesday. Bearing plastic tubs of salads, the bare-chested men attracted crowds of onlookers and posed for photos with women that circulated widely on social media.

Police were less amused. They stopped the parade, and photos showed police on top of two of the Spartans who apparently had been wrestled to the ground.