The riots spread from Hamburg to Wuppertal, but the terror reigns over an entire nation. Or a municipality, at least: Lower Saxony could ban Facebook parties following a string of violent incidents involving open party invitations.

Two Hamburg parties ended in tears and bloodshed, including one in which 1,500 people showed up for a sweet 16 bash that had been inadvertently opened to the public. Despite the 100 police summoned, the event ended in smashed property and aggravated assaults. In Wuppertal, another clumsy invite led to a drunken riot in which 16 people were injured and 41 were arrested. Now the Interior Minister of Lower Saxony says that "if public safety and order are endangered, then Facebook parties will have to be banned beforehand." He's also advocating an internet permit course for young people. Other politicians are saying families involved with bungled inviations should pay for the police and property damage, which seems rather extreme given how notoriously confusing Facebook's settings can be. Maybe the real solution is some kind of prize or incentive for uploading and sharing the most legally actionable picture of one of the rioters. You know, Vancouver style.

[Pic: Wuppertal 'party' in June. AP.]