June 30, 2006 10:55

Guns N' Roses hit out at Swedish police

The band declare themselves 'very unhappy'

Guns N’ Roses have declared themselves “very unhappy” with Swedish police following frontman Axl Rose’s arrest and subsequent fine in Stockholm on Tuesday (June 27).

The star pleaded guilty to violent conduct and criminal damage following an incident in the lobby of Stockholm’s Berns Hotel.

The singer agreed to pay a 40,000 Krona (£3,000) fine, and will also pay 10,000 (£750) damages to the security guard he is alleged to have bitten on the leg.

Now the band’s manager Merck Mercuriadis has revealed the band’s anger over what has happened, and that the police report regarding the incident “should not be taken at face value”.

He said: "We are very unhappy about Tuesday's events in Stockholm. To put this in context, we are in the middle of a tour - with sold out shows last night in Oslo, tomorrow in Copenhagen, and Saturday in Zurich rounding out this week alone - and continuing until the beginning of August.

“The point is, the police report should not be taken at face value. If the context were any different, Axl would probably have preferred to spend the time in jail in order to ensure that all the facts were a matter of public record."

But Mercuriadis added that the incident would not taint the band’s opinion of Sweden, and that they will return to play in the future.

He confirmed: “The 15,000 people at the show Monday night were amazing, and everyone we met before and after were terrific…there were a number of people involved who treated Axl well, while the conduct of some was questionable and others still deplorable. Regardless, Guns N' Roses will return to Sweden where they will play once again for the people, not the authorities."