For days, the police in the German Ruhr area have been on red alert: In several cities, Syrian and Lebanese family clans with up to 100 members have been attacking each other with machetes. The cause was a trivial dispute over a child.
The mass brawl incidents started last Thursday in Castrop-Rauxel, 30 kilometres from the city of Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia. There, two families arranged to “have a discussion” via Facebook. It was preceded by an everyday situation. A Lebanese man had reprimanded an Afghan child from the neighbourhood for making noise.
At the appointed time, 80 men suddenly appeared in the car park of a supermarket for the “discussion”. Eyewitnesses filmed when suddenly they started fist fights and the first members of the clan families pulled out knives and attacked each other. After only a few minutes, a first victim lay on the ground covered in blood, but the brawl became more and more brutal. The Syrian and Lebanese opponents even attacked each other with machetes.
The result of the first clash: seven injured, two of them seriously, and one Syrian (23) in mortal danger due to a stab wound to the abdomen. But that did not seem to suffice for the families. They met again the next day. Again, up to 80 men attacked each other in Castrop-Rauxel. At the same time, the dispute between the two migrant clans spread to the city of Essen.
Firearms and machetes seized
Several hundred people clashed in the city centre, the police were called out, and a helicopter circled over the city. 116 participants in the violent confrontation were checked, some of them temporarily arrested. Firearms, knives and machetes were seized during the search of 24 vehicles.
In the meantime, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) has announced tougher action against the foreign family clans.
https://exxpress.at/syrer-und-libanesen-blutige-strassenschlachten-mit-macheten/