The scary clown epidemic has gripped the entire country and with Halloween right around the corner, this tomfoolery may only continue. But people are starting to fight back, as Germany announced it is issuing a “zero tolerance” policy if anyone is caught in a menacing clown mask during the holiday, as reported by The Washington Post.
This new clown trend is so popular, people are even faking them, but Germany isn’t taking the situation lightly. Clown sightings have increased in Europe, as The Local German reported a boy had been attacked by a man in a clown mask with a chainsaw on Wednesday. If that isn’t nightmare fuel, don’t know what else is. But German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said he is not putting up with any of these shenanigans this year. Maizière has issued a “zero tolerance” policy for people wearing scary clown masks, saying they will be arrested swiftly:
“When people face threats of violence on a wide scale, it can be treated as an offense. It no longer has anything to do with harmless Halloween traditions.”
The rest of the country seems to be following suit as BBC News reported several stores have stopped selling the masks completely. Halloween can already be a chaotic holiday and seeing vagrants with chainsaws and in clown masks won’t help matters.
(Via The Washington Post, BBC News & The Local Germany)