Four dozen ravers were arrested over the weekend after taking part in a new fad that’s sweeping club culture throughout the nation. “Ravers have decided that throwing knives at people is the next big thing,” says Sgt. Godein of the SPVM. “It's stupid, it's dangerous, and it's increasingly popular. Every night, we arrest at least a couple of clubbers for throwing knives at random people that they see walking down the streets. Citizens are now scared to go out at night, because they're afraid that partygoers will throw knives at them."

Sgt. Godein is exasperated with the rise in violence that he's witnessing across the city. "The worst is dealing with raves," says Sgt. Godein. "It's a nightmare. Imagine hundreds and hundreds of teenagers, all of whom are armed to the teeth with knives, waiting for an excuse to throw them. It's getting to the point where we'll need to call in the army just to deal with raves. That's how dangerous they're getting. Every party is now practically an armed rebellion."

Knife throwing became synonymous with raving thanks to a small club in Germany. “The practice of throwing sharp metal objects at people became a part of raving culture as a result of Scheistermeister, a popular nightlife club in the of Wiesbaden,” says raveologist John Gruber. “Scheistermeister started organizing monthly knife throwing contests in 2012. People would get drunk, dance to EDM, and throw knives at each other. The ravers who took part in the events found the idea of dodging knives so exhilarating, that they started evangelizing it. Soon clubs throughout Germany were engaging in knife throwing events. Once the events went national, it didn't take long for them to go international.”

Within a couple years, knife throwing and raving became synonymous in Europe. “At some point in 2013, ravers stopped throwing knives at each other, and started throwing them at random strangers,” says John. “I believe that’s because ravers possess a latent hostility towards society. They feel marginalized and voiceless. The economic hardships that they've undergone over the last decade are now starting to crystallize into tangible acts of violence. They're no longer content with simply dancing their miseries away, now they want the rest of society to share in their pain.”

The rise in knife-throwing violence has renewed a push among politicians to ban raving. “The political establishment is taking a hard look at raving,” says urban theorist Leah Ledoux. “If the violence doesn't stop, the government will clamp down on the party scene. They might even ban EDM."