New Year’s Eve 23/24
Two firecracker deaths, attacks on rescue workers and more than 300 arrests in Berlin
Dresden: New Year’s Eve use of pyrotechnics for an emergency ambulance on the Marienbrücke
© Robert Michael / DPA
New Year’s Eve in Germany was happy and relatively quiet. In Berlin, however, attacks on police and rescue workers became more frequent. At the Two young men died from firecrackers.
People all over Germany welcomed the New Year with lots of fireworks. In Berlin, tens of thousands celebrated at the big New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate, where there were fireworks for the first time in several years. After last year’s riots, the celebrations in the capital took place under tightened security measures. Although there were no major riots, the police reported renewed attacks on officers and rescue workers.
Berlin: 230 arrests, 15 injured police officers
In Berlin The police were on duty with a large contingent. The fire department also increased the number of emergency services after the riots at the turn of the year last year. According to the police, more than 230 arrests had been made in Berlin by around 2 a.m. In addition, 15 officers were injured, the police said via the online service X, formerly Twitter. At numerous locations throughout the city, emergency and rescue workers were attacked with pyrotechnics, blank guns and bottles. According to police reports, the situation calmed down again around 3 a.m.
At the Neptune fountain not far from Alexanderplatz 500 people threw pyrotechnics at each other before midnight. When police officers intervened, they say a group of 200 people fired fireworks at them. According to the Berlin police, several people were arrested.
Police car shot at with a bullet bomb
In Gropiusstadt According to police reports, in the Neukölln district, a parked emergency vehicle was shot at with a ball bomb and damaged so badly that it had to be taken out of service. Also in Neukölln, nine arrests were made after people tried to make Molotov cocktails out of glass bottles, scraps of fabric and gasoline.
In the Berlin Accident Hospital (UKB), numerous people with injuries from firecrackers were treated. The clinic announced shortly after 4 a.m. on the online platform The UKB spoke of some “dramatic amputation injuries”.
Relatively quiet turn of the year
In other German cities, the turn of the year was relatively quiet compared to last year. In Stuttgart The police made an initial positive assessment of their operations around Schlossplatz. By 4 a.m., the officers said they had recorded around 30 reports, primarily violations of the Explosives Act. According to police, there were no “serious incidents.”
The emergency services in cities such as Mainz and Bochum. In Koblenz According to police reports, an officer was hit by pyrotechnics but was uninjured. However, it came in Koblenz district of Rübenach to a tragic accident: An 18-year-old was fatally injured when a firecracker was set off and died despite attempts at resuscitation.
In Cologne The security measures around the cathedral were increased again for New Year’s Eve. According to the head of the Cologne police traffic department, Frank Wißbaum, around 1,000 police officers were on duty to secure the area and protect the population. The Cologne police had previously announced that they had taken three more terror suspects into custody in connection with possible plans to attack the cathedral.
Normal New Year’s Eve in Hamburg
On the Hamburg Reeperbahn The police estimated the number of revelers at up to 45,000. Many crowded into the Great Freedom area after midnight. The police temporarily blocked access to the side street of the Reeperbahn.
At the landing stages According to police reports, 10,000 people watched the New Year’s Eve fireworks overlooking the harbor in the morning. Around the Inner Alster, where fireworks were not permitted, officials counted 5,000 revelers.
22-year-old dies from bullet bomb
In the East Saxon Boxberg A 22-year-old was killed when a banned ball bomb was detonated. A spokesman for the Görlitz Police Department said the young man suffered such serious injuries in the explosion that he died at the scene of the accident despite rescue attempts. A companion of the same age suffered minor injuries. The ball bomb was bought abroad and was not registered in Germany.