A large hostile crowd attacked police officers on the night of Sunday. This was preceded by a brawl in a restaurant on Europa square in Bocholt around 03.00 a.m. in which about 20 to 30 people were involved.The called police officers immediately entered the restaurant and intervened consistently. The use of pepper sprays and a baton was also necessary as the officers were assaulted.According to the current state of knowledge, the participants in the brawl are predominantly persons with a Lebanese migrant background. Some have already been arrested in the restaurant. The incidents relocated increasingly to the outside area and in the area “Europa square/At the Synagogue” a large crowd (approx. 200 to 300 persons, predominantly with migration background) mobbed together. Out of this very aggressive group (quotation of the police officers “angry, raging mob”) the officers were massively insulted and threatened. In addition, the crowd was loudly and repeatedly called upon by individuals to attack the police officers. The task forces, which included reinforcements from other departments, finally managed to clear the area by consistent action. The mission on site could be finished around 04.30 am. Nine persons were temporarily arrested or taken into custody. Among them were a 24-year-old and his 33-year-old companion. The 24-year-old had disrupted the police operations and physically attacked the police officers. The 33-year-old tried to prevent the arrest and threw a beer mug down the neck of a police officer. The officer continued his service slightly injured. The rest of the arrested were involved in the initial brawl. The investigations are ongoing. On Sunday afternoon, damage to property was reported which could be related to the nightly events. A green BMW 3 series car parked on Europaplatz was massively damaged by deep scratches (approx. 6,000 Euro damage). In the night to Monday there was another incident, which could be connected with the event: Two masked persons had entered one man’s property and fled when they were noticed by the victim. The perpetrators fled in a car that was later found outside a restaurant. Two of the suspected occupants of the car were persons who were also known to the police during the incident on Sunday night.

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