Injured in mass brawl in Essen – police speak of “clan crime”
Hundreds of people gather in downtown Essen
Violent clashes broke out between several groups in Essen during the night. Hundreds of people had gathered in the downtown area, a police spokeswoman said. That’s when the clashes broke out.
The NRW interior minister has already speculated about clan disputes, and now the local police too: there have been unrest in the Ruhr area for days. After a brawl in Castrop-Rauxel, the police had to go out again for several large-scale operations.
IOn the night of Saturday there were acts of violence between several groups in Essen. In a mass brawl between at least 80 people, several participants and two police officers were injured late on Friday evening.
Several people had to be taken to hospitals, a police spokesman said on Saturday. The police themselves were deployed with a “larger contingent” and a helicopter. It is not yet clear how many were injured. But it’s probably about a “conflict in the field of clan crime,” as it was said. In Essen, but also in neighboring Castrop-Rauxel, where there have been conflicts for days, there is now an increased police presence. The police stations in both cities are “in close contact”, said a spokesman for the Recklinghausen police on Saturday.
Iron bars and knives found
The argument in Essen happened around 9.30 p.m. in front of a restaurant. According to the information, several onlookers were added, so that 113 people were last on site. Iron bars and knives were later found at the scene of the fight. The police were on duty until well after midnight. “Reconnaissance measures” are currently underway to find out whether there could be another argument on Saturday, the spokesman said.
The “Bild” newspaper already speculated specifically about a “clan war in the district”, which is currently escalating. According to “Bild”, the current conflict situation in Essen also falls under this. According to the newspaper, these are probably disputes between a Lebanese and a Syrian extended family. As already mentioned, this information has not been officially confirmed.
Also in Castrop-Rauxel (Recklinghausen district), around 30 kilometers away, a larger group of people gathered in the city on Friday evening after a brawl with several injuries.
A police helicopter is also in action
The Accumulation in Wittener Straße triggered a large-scale operation the police. The group was “obviously related to Thursday’s altercation,” police said. The background to the meeting on Friday evening was initially unknown.
Police officers are guarding some of the young men who wanted to fight in Essen
Source: dpa
The officers checked 116 people and searched 24 vehicles. A police helicopter was also in action. Dangerous items such as knives, machetes and a firearm were seized during the searches. After the end of the operation, the participants were given a place reference and an entry ban.
As the message went on to say, the police will also be more present in Castrop-Rauxel in the next few days. Whether and how the incidents in Essen and Castrop-Rauxel are related is now also the subject of investigations. At the moment, however, the personal details of those involved in the brawl in Essen still have to be determined, said a police spokesman on Saturday.
Two groups had already attacked each other in Castrop-Rauxel on Thursday evening. In their analysis of the crime, the police also consider that this incident was a kind of initial spark for the riots that followed. As the police and prosecutors announced on Friday, seven people were injured there – some of them seriously. As it was also said on Saturday, a 19-strong murder commission has now been formed to clarify the course of events.
The North Rhine-Westphalian Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) had already spoken of a “tumult” and indications that the case could have something to do with the clan milieu.