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Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year
by setting off large numbers of fireworks in public places. But
the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks
against emergency officials.
In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured
in confrontations or attacks during New Year's Eve, leading to
400 arrests, city officials said. Hundreds of police officers
from across the country were deployed to the capital to help
prevent further violence.
Five people were killed and hundreds injured across the country
after being hit accidentally by fireworks, German news agency
dpa reported.
Explosions of very strong, illegal fireworks in Berlin also
caused extensive damage in two Berlin neighborhoods and injured
numerous people, some of them seriously. According to the city's
fire department, powerful detonations severely damaged numerous
house facades and broke many windows.
Thirty-six apartments are currently uninhabitable, dpa reported.
“The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states
and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are
the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos,"
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.
"However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed
attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was
absolutely necessary.”
She wished all injured officers a speedy recovery and vowed that
all perpetrators will be "prosecuted and punished with the
utmost severity.”
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