Berlin fears emergency – major police action
Police and firefighters in Berlin are preparing for New Year's Eve. The Gaza war has worsened the situation.
Berlin fears New Year's Eve emergency: Fireworks ban zone on Sonnenallee in Neukölln.
Photo: Clemens Billon (EPA/Keystone)
Germany goes into New Year's Eve nervously. Berlin's ruling mayor, Kai Wegner, announced tough measures against the riots on Sunday evening. “Tonight is, if necessary, a night of repression, where the rule of law will try to assert itself,” the CDU politician said as he visited a police station in Berlin-Neukölln.
A year ago New Year's Eve saw riots and attacks on police and rescue workers across the country, with Berlin particularly affected.
An incident involving hundreds of people took place near Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte a few hours before midnight. Firecrackers were thrown from a group of about 500 people, police said.
Police dispersed the group at the Neptune Fountain and checked for fireworks, police said on online site X.
“Our emergency services were fired with pyrotechnics by a group of around 200 people in the town hall corridors,” it continued. In all, about 20 people have been arrested in the city as of 9 p.m., a police spokesman said.
Heavy police presence
Police and fire brigades in Berlin are preparing in full force. According to Police Chief Barbara Slovic, it was one of the largest operations in the capital in recent decades.
Incidents of private firecrackers have already happened. A 40-year-old man lost his arm while firing a signal rocket in the Kaulsdorf district, Berlin police said. Immediately after ignition, the rocket exploded in his hand. During the search, additional pyrotechnics were found and seized from him.
The already ever-unsettled New Year in Berlin was further exacerbated by the Gaza war following a terrorist attack by Islamist Hamas on Israel. There have been repeated protests over the past few weeks and months.
Hot spots and no-fire areas
Berlin police banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Neukölln on New Year's Eve, due to fear of crime. According to police, two parallel counter-rallys planned in support of Israel were canceled by the organizers. Another pro-Palestinian demonstration moved from Neukölln to Kreuzberg on New Year's Eve with a heavy police presence.
Police have identified several hotspot areas, including northern New Zealand. There were also zones where fireworks were banned, for example at Alexanderplatz. Private fireworks are also prohibited at Brandenburg Gate.
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