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THREAT

Boules match descends into violent brawl

A regional pétanque (boules) championship in south western France was marred earlier this month when one of the matches descended into a mass brawl, that saw seven people arrested and the referee suffer a blow to the head.

Published: 7 May 2015 09:29 CEST
Boules match descends into violent brawl
Photo: AFP

The French take their pétanque (or boules as it also known abroad) seriously, although some a little too seriously it seems.

The Aquitaine championships in south western France descended into chaos earlier this month when a match was marred by a mass brawl, Sud Ouest newspaper reports.

According to reports one player became annoyed by the presence of an old rival in the crowd and things quickly got out of hand and the pair became involved in an altercation.

SEE ALSO: Pétanque: Ten things you really need to know

With the arena in shock, four people arrived armed with bats, iron bars and even a walking stick with a metal handle as the dispute turned violent.

The spectator was left badly injured in the fracas and the referee suffered a blow to the back of the head.

The brawl was apparently covered up by the tournament’s organisers until mobile phone footage was passed to the police.

Seven people were arrested in connection with the fight, including three generations of one family – the grandfather, son and grandson.

They face charges of violence and using a weapon during a sporting event.

Last year, the pétanque world championships were marred by death threats leading one team to drop out. 

VIDEO: Fox steals 38 boules balls

SEE ALSO: Pensioner killed by runaway circus elephant 

EVACUATION

Update: City halls across Germany evacuated after receiving bomb threats

Several city halls in Germany were evacuated on Tuesday over emails threatening bomb attacks, police said.

Published: 26 March 2019 09:32 CET
Updated: 26 March 2019 16:10 CET
Update: City halls across Germany evacuated after receiving bomb threats
Police blocked off the town hall square in Augsburg after a bomb threat. Photo: DPA

Augsburg, Kaiserslautern, Chemnitz, Göttingen, Neunkirchen and Rendsburg were affected, reported Focus Online. The sender of the threats remains unidentified.

The city hall in Augsburg, Bavaria, was evacuated and closed on Tuesday morning. The town hall square was also cordoned off, reported the Augsburger Allgemeine. Around 500 employees were sent home, the newspaper said.

According to police reports, a bomb threat had been received by mail that night. From about 8am to shortly after midday a large-scale operation was in progress.

There was also disruption to public transport due to the incident.

After the search was completed police said no suspicious objects were found. However, Augsburg's Mayor Kurt Gribl said it was right to evacuate and close off the area.

“The contents of the mail had to be taken seriously,” said Gribl in a statement.

The town hall in Göttingen, Lower Saxony was also evacuated and cordoned off early on Tuesday morning. According to the police, a bomb threat was received, reported the Göttinger Tageblatt. Special forces were on site and residents were urged to avoid the area.

Police also tweeted about the incident and said public transport in the area would also be diverted.

A similar report came to light in the Saxon city of Chemnitz. Police were investigating the town hall, reported Radio Chemnitz. That building was also cordoned off.

In Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate, threatening mail was also received, a police spokesman said this morning, reported Stern.Task forces were also on site with sniffer dogs. The area around the town hall had been cordoned off. However, there is currently no concrete threat, the spokesman said. The measures were being carried out as a precaution.

 “Around 1:30am, threatening mail arrived at the town hall during the night, a police spokesman in Kaiserslautern told Focus Online. “It was discovered by an employee at about 8 am.”

Threats were also reported in other German cities.

Saarländischer Rundfunk said sniffer dogs were being used at the town hall in Neunkirchen It was thought to be in connection with a threatening email.

in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, a police spokesman told Focus that an e-mail with a bomb threat had arrived at the town hall during the night. The building was evacuated in the early hours of the morning, and employees were denied access.

The latest scare came after more than 100 threatening emails were apparently sent by far-right sympathizers to lawyers, politicians, journalists and even a pop star.

SEE ALSO: Probe underway after far-right threats sent to German politicians, courts and celebrities

Some of the emails contained bomb and other death threats, or boasted of being in possession of guns and biological weapons, media reported.

Berlin prosecutors, who are coordinating the national investigation, said it had received reports of more than 100 threats. In no cases were bombs found.

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