BEIJING, July 23 -- Beijing police dispersed a group of scantily-clad foreign men who were causing a stir in downtown Beijing on Wednesday.

The Beijing public security bureau said on Thursday that it had received reports at around noon on Wednesday that dozens of foreign men wearing only underpants had appeared in the upmarket shopping district of Sanlitun, attracting many onlookers. The bureau said their actions disturbed public order.

Hired by a snack store for a promotional activity, the muscular men wore underpants and cloaks like the warriors in the movie "300". Photos of them have gone viral online. One of them shows two men being pressed onto the ground by police officers.