New Year’s Night: Attacks, Accidents, and a New Debate

Most people celebrated the turn of the year peacefully – but not all, and that’s why there is a new debate about firecracker bans. In Berlin, for example, the police and fire brigade complained of a high level of aggression.

Police and emergency services have drawn a mixed preliminary balance after New Year’s Eve. While millions of people celebrated peacefully, they had to go on many missions nationwide. Also because of the lifting of the corona restrictions and the unusually mild temperatures, they had a lot more to do again.

The emergency services again complained that they had encountered a high level of aggression. In Berlin, officials were “massively attacked with firecrackers” when extinguishing a burning car, the police said. According to the police, 60 to 80 people tried to light a vehicle with fireworks in the Lichtenrade district, police officers were “literally under fire”. The police in the capital reported 18 injured officers. They arrested more than 100 people.

“Even experienced emergency services shocked”

The Berlin state fire director Karsten Homrighausen also condemned attacks on rescue workers in the strongest possible terms. “Even experienced emergency services were shocked by the aggressiveness and willingness to use violence by groups, some of whom were masked,” tweeted the fire brigade: “All 15 injured emergency services get well soon.”

As a reaction to the attacks with firecrackers and rockets on police officers and firefighters, the Berlin police union is also demanding that a far-reaching ban on firecrackers be taken seriously. “We have seen across Germany that pyrotechnics are being used specifically as a weapon against people,” criticized GdP country chief Stephan Weh. That must come to an end.

“Most intense New Year’s Eve in recent years”

In Hamburg, the fire brigade spoke of a “terrifying New Year’s Eve balance”. During New Year’s Eve, emergency services were “aggressively approached, literally shot at” with fireworks.

Police stations across the country – such as in Düsseldorf – also reported “heavily intoxicated people, rioters, disputes and bodily harm”. It was “the most intense New Year’s Eve in recent years,” said the Central Franconian police.

Two dead and several seriously injured

There have also been serious or even fatal accidents. In Leipzig, a 17-year-old was injured so badly when using pyrotechnics that he died in the hospital, according to the police. In Saxony-Anhalt, a man was hit and killed by a car while banging on the street. The driver committed a hit-and-run but was later caught by the police. Officials determined an alcohol content of 1.86 per mille.

In many states, people have been injured – some seriously – by improper use of pyrotechnics.

“Aggression in unprecedented form”

As a reaction to attacks and serious accidents, the debate about a general ban on private fireworks is picking up speed again. “Our fears were exceeded by reality,” said the managing director of Deutsche Umwelthilfe. He was stunned that even the death of the 17-year-old in Leipzig did not lead to an immediate reaction from the responsible federal politicians. “Despite our warnings and despite a clear majority of people for an absolute ban on firecrackers, Federal Interior Minister Faeser is responsible for the terrible consequences of this night,” said Resch.

Germany had experienced “aggressiveness in an unprecedented form”. “It’s a minority that takes advantage of New Year’s Eve and uses pyrotechnics to terrorize the vast majority.”

Union and FDP against general ban

Union and FDP politicians opposed a general ban on firecrackers. The behavior of criminals should not mean “that the many peaceful revelers should also be subject to a general ban on fireworks,” said the parliamentary manager of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU), the “Rheinische Post”. Municipalities could already ban fireworks in certain places and at certain times: “That’s reasonable.” The parliamentary director of the FDP parliamentary group, Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus, argued similarly in the same newspaper.

Hundreds arrested in Belgium and France

In Belgium, too, the New Year celebrations were overshadowed by riots. In the Brussels capital region alone, the police arrested around 160 people on New Year’s Eve, the Belgian news agency reported. There were also several dozen arrests in Antwerp.

In France, rioters set fire to 690 cars. However, there were 21 percent fewer burnt-out cars than at the turn of the year before, said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. The police took consistent action against troublemakers, and there were 490 arrests nationwide.