New Year’s Eve 2023: In Berlin, the mayor announces a “night of repression” if necessary. After the terrorist alarm in Cologne there are arrests. And Denmark’s Queen surprises everyone in the evening.
Germany goes into New Year’s Eve tensely. Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner announced tough action against riots. “Today is the night, if it is necessary, the night of repression where the rule of law will try to assert itself,” said the CDU politician while visiting a police station in Berlin-Neukölln. On New Year’s Eve a year ago there were riots and attacks on police and rescue workers across the country, with Berlin particularly affected.
Hours before midnight there was an incident near Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte with hundreds of people involved. According to the police, firecrackers were thrown from a group of around 500 people. The police said on the online platform X (formerly Twitter) that the group was dispersed at the Neptune Fountain and checked for fireworks. “Our emergency services were bombarded with pyrotechnics from a group of around 200 people who were at the town hall passages,” it continued. In total, there had been around 20 arrests in the city until around 9 p.m., said a police spokeswoman.
More suspects in custody after Cologne terror alarm
In Cologne, the police chief said at a press conference that the allegedly planned attack was supposed to have been carried out with a car. It turned out that the Tajik, who was taken into custody on Christmas Eve, was part of a larger network. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) said that the approximately 1,000 police officers who were deployed around the cathedral on New Year’s Eve were doing everything they could to ensure the safety of those celebrating. The police had received information about a planned Islamist attack on Cologne Cathedral on New Year’s Eve. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki then celebrated the well-attended New Year’s Eve mass on Sunday evening under heavy police protection.
Restraint in flood areas
For many people in the flood areas, this time the New Year’s Eve party literally fell through. The Interior Minister of the hard-hit state of Lower Saxony, Daniela Behrens, called for New Year’s Eve fireworks to be used with caution due to the tense flood situation. The fire brigades and rescue services are busy enough, said the SPD politician in Verden.
Australia, China, South Korea already have 2024
In many parts of the world, 2024 began hours before midnight in Germany. In Sydney, a mega light show lit up the sky against the world-famous backdrop of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House at 2 p.m. CET. By the German evening it was already 2024 in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, China, India and Dubai.
Berlin is in a “state of emergency on New Year’s Eve”
The police and fire brigade in Berlin prepared with a large contingent. According to Police Chief Barbara Slowik, it was one of the largest operations in the capital in recent decades.
Private fireworks turned out to be particularly dangerous. The Berlin police said that a 40-year-old lost a hand when setting off a signal rocket in the Kaulsdorf district. Immediately after ignition, the rocket exploded in his hand. During a search, additional pyrotechnics were found on him and confiscated.
The first attacks on emergency services and passers-by have already been reported in Berlin. In addition to the larger operation at the Neptune Fountain, for example, a parked police vehicle was shot at with a ball bomb – but the police were on duty in a house at the time, the police said.
Before New Year’s Eve, which was already always restless in Berlin, the situation had become even worse due to the Gaza war following the terrorist attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas. There have been repeated demonstrations in the past few weeks and months. Out of fear of crime, the Berlin police banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Neukölln that had been registered for New Year’s Eve.
Focal areas and party
The police defined several hotspot areas, including northern Neukölln. There are also no-gun zones, for example at Alexanderplatz. Private fireworks are also prohibited at the Brandenburg Gate. The traditional New Year’s Eve party is taking place there again, which ZDF is broadcasting live. For the first time since the corona pandemic, fireworks are planned at midnight, and there is also a new entry fee of ten euros. Despite isolated showers and high security precautions, tens of thousands flocked to the site, but unlike in the pre-pandemic years, there is still space. According to the organizers, 45,000 tickets had been sold by early Sunday evening and the party is designed for up to 65,000 people.
Whole globe only on January 1st. at 1 p.m. in the New Year
In total, it takes 26 hours for the entire globe to enter the New Year. American Samoa, located just 220 kilometers east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last country – twelve hours after Germany. At 1:00 p.m. CET on January 1st, only two uninhabited islands will follow.
Big New Year’s Eve surprise in Denmark
There was a big surprise of a different kind in Denmark: In Copenhagen, Queen Margrethe announced in her 52nd New Year’s address that she would abdicate in mid-January. Her son Frederik will then take over – he will then become King Frederik X, his wife Mary will become queen. Danish media described the announcement as “absolutely historic.” After the announcement, spontaneous applause broke out among the onlookers who had gathered on the palace square in front of Amalienborg Palace. Margrethe had always emphasized that she wanted to stay on the throne until her death – until she caused the big surprise on December 31st.