Sparkler ban at Cologne Cathedral – man in Berlin loses hand because of fireworks rocket
Concern about New Year’s Eve riots – How German city centers are becoming high-security areas
In some places, the anticipation of New Year’s Eve is clouded by fears of renewed riots and attacks. There is an abstractly high risk situation. In Berlin, the police have already had to intervene because firecrackers were thrown at passers-by.
After the riots a year ago and riots at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, major cities in Germany in particular are relying on a high police presence. The strictest security precautions apply in Cologne. In Berlin, a 40-year-old lost a hand the night before New Year’s Eve.
UNew Year’s Eve is celebrated in Germany on Sunday evening amid strict security precautions. Up to 65,000 people are expected on the party mile in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin alone. It’s not just there that there are strict safety requirements. In Cologne and other cities, too, a large police presence is intended to prevent riots like last year. Other cities, on the other hand, consciously decided against no-gun zones.
Alone in Berlin More than 4,000 police officers are expected to be on duty on New Year’s Eve – one of the largest New Year’s Eve operations in the city’s history. According to Police Chief Barbara Slowik, 3,000 police officers from the capital and other federal states are on the streets at night. 1,000 additional officers are deployed in 220 patrol cars and in the 37 police stations. There are also 500 federal police officers at the train stations. A pro-Palestinian demonstration under the slogan “No celebrations during a genocide” in the Gaza Strip has been banned. There are also no-gun zones at Alexanderplatz, in the Steinmetzkiez area in Schöneberg and on part of Sonnenallee as well as in adjacent side streets. The ban applies from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 6 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.
There was also the first report of a serious injury caused by fireworks in the capital: a man lost a hand when setting off a fireworks rocket in the Kaulsdorf district. The 40-year-old set off the signal rocket on the terrace of a bungalow on Saturday, the Berlin police said on Sunday morning. Immediately after ignition, the rocket exploded in his hand. He was taken to a hospital. During a search, additional pyrotechnics were found on him and confiscated. According to initial findings, the firecracker was a category F4 signal rocket. Such large fireworks displays may only be used by trained pyrotechnicians.
There was also a serious incident Schleswig-Holstein. While handling fireworks, two children in the Schleswig-Flensburg district were injured, some seriously, and a house was badly damaged. A 15-year-old suffered serious burn injuries in the accident on Saturday evening in Havetoft, a police spokeswoman said on Sunday. A ten-year-old girl was slightly injured. The accident caused fire to break out in the attic of the house. The building is currently no longer habitable.
Many controls in Cologne
Compared to the previous year, the number of emergency services increased, according to the Interior Ministry North Rhine-Westphalia increased again. A total of more than 6,600 police officers are planned for New Year’s Eve, said Minister Herbert Reul (CDU).
The security precautions around the area are particularly strict Cologne cathedral, there have been police checks here for days, and even sparklers are banned on New Year’s Eve. There is also a large no-fire zone in the entire city center on the left bank of the Rhine. Officers could also be out with submachine guns. The reason is that security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group. A 30-year-old was taken into custody “to avert danger”. The Tajik is suspected of spying on the cathedral. At 6:30 p.m., Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki wants to celebrate a mass to mark the end of the year with believers, despite the tense situation.
The strategy is much more cautious Dusseldorf. As in previous years, North Rhine-Westphalia’s state capital only bans firecrackers in the old town.
Essen and Duisburg waive a local ban on firecrackers. Such a ban would simply shift the problems to other parts of the city, it was said in Duisburg. Dortmund This time, the ban on fireworks that has been in place for many years has even been deliberately lifted – for the first time since 2016, there are no special restrictions on pyrotechnics in the city. The city said they were relying on “the common sense of the citizens and visitors,” who recently celebrated mostly peacefully in the city.
Firecracker bans due to flooding
Due to the flood situation, the Hanseatic city of Bremen The ban on firecrackers that had already been issued for three districts was once again significantly expanded. According to this, people who want to set off private fireworks on the night of New Year’s Eve must keep a distance of 300 meters from open landscapes such as meadows, fields, wasteland and moors, as the Senate press office announced. No rockets may be fired and no firecrackers may be set off within the distance zone. According to the information, the reason for this is the currently drastically reduced refuges for wild animals.
Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD) appealed to citizens to be considerate of the animals and to find other areas for the fireworks: “For wild animals, escaping from the flood already means maximum stress. Fireworks in the immediate vicinity would cause the animals to panic and possibly drive them into the water and thus to their death.” Residents and hunters had previously reported to the Interior Senate from various districts that many wild animals had saved themselves from the masses of water on dikes or green spaces close to their homes .
The ban applies from Sunday (New Year’s Eve) at 6 p.m. to Monday (New Year’s Eve) at 6 a.m. A similar order also applies to the adjacent one Lilienthal in Niedersachsen. Mäurer explained that the emergency services would have to be relieved of typical New Year’s Eve operations. Violations may result in expulsion and the fireworks being taken away.
In general, setting off pyrotechnics near churches, hospitals, nursing homes and children’s homes is prohibited nationwide.
Not just in Germany, also in neighboring countries France the police are on alert. More than 90,000 police officers and 5,000 anti-terror special forces are deployed across the country on New Year’s Eve to secure the celebrations. There is a ban on firecrackers in Alsace.