Panic as clown terror spreads to southern France

[lego 44,165]

A wave of panic sparked by evil clowns stalking French towns has spread to the south of France where police on Saturday night arrested 14 teenagers dressed as the pranksters, carrying pistols, knives and baseball bats.

A police source said the teens were arrested in the parking lot of a secondary school in the port town of Agde, as several other complaints poured in over "armed clowns" in the region over the weekend.

In the Mediterranean city of Montpellier a man disguised as a clown was arrested after beating up a pedestrian with an iron bar, while three motorists in different towns complained about "scary clowns" threatening them.

The phenomenon of dressing up as an evil clown and terrifying passers-by cropped up in the north of France in early October.

In the northern French town of Bethune, a man was given a six-month suspended jail term Monday for threatening passers-by while in full circus garb.

Using fake weapons these "clowns" have been "mostly spotted outside schools, but also on public roads, in bushes, in a square.

Their targets are often young children or teenagers, but also adults," a police source in northern France told AFP.

Theories abound as to the origin of the trend in a country where American fear-fest Halloween has yet to take hold.

These include a challenge launched on social networks, a video published on YouTube showing a terrifying clown pranking people -- which has had some 31 million views -- or even a recent episode of popular series American Horror Story featuring Twisty the killer clown.

Anti-clown vigilantes

After a rumour of a clown stalking the eastern town of Mulhouse, five teenagers on Wednesday armed themselves with a baseball bat, a teargas canister, a hammer and a truncheon to mete out vigilante justice to the not-so-funny pranksters.

They were arrested and later released –– but the incident prompted the national police to step in to quell the hysteria.

"Since mid-October, a rumour inspired by videos published on the internet, is worrying the population about the presence of threatening and aggressive clowns in France," the national police said in a statement this week.

The statement cautioned that "despite numerous reports made to police, there have been only a few sightings of people dressed as clowns having fun scaring passers-by."

"Symptomatic of the impact of the internet, this phenomenon can lead to damaging individual acts and disturbances to public order."

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

[RAMROD 117,040]

Is this because of that killer crown pranks on YT?

[ByeBye49 161]

That would be my nightmare. 

 

I'm scared to death by clowns.  :emo:

[Microscope 710]

If this becomes a worldwide trend....

 

Time to start walking around with pepper spray tbh

[Pandora 162]

[MrFameKills 1,600]

it feels...................reductive

 

[Ribs 160]

I'm not afraid of clowns but this is just disturbing. They're carrying iron bars?

[Morphine Prince 109,655]

Twisty ha impact is real......!

AHS

[Azor Ahai 18,861]

Freakshow's impact is real

[Antidote 95]

I wouldn't feel comfortable at all meeting people outside on the streets with weapons (I mean if you're scared you don't have the time to check if they're just fake,you better run...) and on top of that I also hate clowns/dolls/everything like that.

 

Someone could end up getting hurt, people running away  scared may just fall and break something or they probably attack the clowns. Me, I might just get a heart attack.

And then they're like "oh it was just a joke" or what? Not cool

[lego 44,165]

I wouldn't feel comfortable at all meeting people outside on the streets with weapons (I mean if you're scared you don't have the time to check if they're just fake,you better run...) and on top of that I also hate clowns/dolls/everything like that.

 

Someone could end up getting hurt, people running away  scared may just fall and break something or they probably attack the clowns. Me, I might just get a heart attack.

And then they're like "oh it was just a joke" or what? Not cool

People did get hurt, it's not just a prank.

In the Mediterranean city of Montpellier a man disguised as a clown was arrested after beating up a pedestrian with an iron bar

[swine killer 0]

[Staryu 6,162]

The fact that some individuals take the time to get into a costume and run after people with weapons/fake weapons.

[Goosey 3,017]

As the French say: Mamma mia! :wtf:

[Stephen 30,433]

The jokerz some1 call terry McGinnis :giveup: