In Vendargues, a small French town near Montpellier, there will
be one classic costume conspicuously missing this Halloween. Under
order of
decree by Mayor Pierre Dudieuzere, no resident age 13 or above
shall wear a clown costume or clown makeup in public this October
31.
So what are we looking at here? An extreme case of coulrophobia? Au
contraire! It seems nearby cities and towns have been terrorized by
evil teenage clowns for the past several weeks. Dudieuzere said
he’s merely aiming to “avoid confusion and eventual disruption on
the occasion of the feast of Halloween.”
Vendargues’ ban on clowning around in public lasts through
November 30, 2014, although an extension is possible if “the
evolution of this phenomenon” of menacing clowns continues. Those
who break the clown ban will be arrested and prosecuted, though the
decree does not say what the punishment is. Also no word on whether
mimes are prohibited.
According to the BBC, French police have recently arrested more than
a dozen teen clowns who were “frightening passers-by” with
weapons and sometimes physically assaulting people. “The incidents
appeared to be fuelled by a clown craze on social media,” the BBC
article reports cryptically.
A story from earlier in the week elaborates on
this alleged evil clown “social media craze”, which apparently
is not just a phénomène français but an “international trend.”
“Earlier this month in the US, there were several reports of
scary clowns in California, Florida and New Mexico,” the
BBC’s Anne-Marie Tomchak reports.
Photos of clowns were shared on social media accounts using the
name “Wasco Clown”. The Wasco Clown was was originally an art
project featuring photos of an anonymous clown in the town of the
same name. It inspired copycats, with some sharing disturbing
images of clowns in intimidating scenarios. Social media accounts
using the Wasco Clown name built up a following on Twitter and Instagram.
There was also on a tribute
Facebook page.
Yes, folks, anyone in the whole world who posts clown photos to
the Internet is clearly part of this global violent clown
conspiracy. Don’t worry, though: “Social media is also being used
as part of a counter movement. In France, police say groups are
organising online to track down the clowns and they’re taking the
matter very seriously,” Tomchak notes.
According to the
French Ministry of the Interior, several clown hunters were
arrested carrying batons and brass knuckles. “Possession of a
weapon on a public road is an offense punishable by imprisonment,”
says the Ministry in a statement. “Everyone, aggressive clowns
clowns or hunters, discovered in possession of a weapon … on the
highway will be arrested” and taken into police custody. The
statement also urges French citizens to report “aggressive clowns”
to authorities immediately.
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