Real clowns protest fake killer clowns

The clowns in El Salvador take their profession very seriously and are protesting against imposters who use their costumes for crime.

Earlier this week, two robbers dressed as clowns boarded a public bus in El Salvador and shot a man five times in the face and stomach when he refused to give them his money. The victim died and no arrests have been made for the assailants. Yesterday, about 100 professional clowns who make money performing on public buses marched through San Salvador, El Salvador's capital, to protest the killing by these two imposter clowns. Many carried signs stating that real clowns are not criminals. El Salvador is plagued with armed bandits who pose as clowns and rob people on buses and other forms of public transportation. Professional clown Ana Noelia Ramirez told The Associated Press: "We are protesting so that people know we are not killers. The people who did this are not clowns. They unfortunately used our costume and our makeup to commit a monstrous act." Clown-union leader Carlos Vasquez says he is planning to issue IDs to all real clowns and will urge police to detain those who do not carry the IDs.