Giffey on New Year's Eve: "This year won't be any easier"
Berlin's Senator for Economic Affairs and former Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey fears renewed riots in the capital on New Year's Eve. "It certainly won't be any easier this year, especially when we see what's currently happening on the streets of Berlin," the SPD politician told the German Press Agency. "The conflicts of this world are also taking place on our streets and schoolyards."
Last New Year's Eve, police and emergency services were obstructed in their work in several German cities and shot at with firecrackers and rockets. There were particularly violent riots in Berlin.
Foreign policy situation can exacerbate aggression
"It wasn't just last year that aggression increased and became more concentrated on New Year's Eve," said Giffey, who is also the chairwoman of the SPD in Berlin. "The current foreign policy situation has the potential to intensify this."
However, it can be assumed that Berlin will go into this New Year's Eve differently prepared to do everything it can to prevent images like last year. "Preparations for this year are underway and are being intensified, not only by the police, but also in youth social work.
There will once again be no-fire zones and a large police presence in Berlin. "But it will be difficult to stop some things, partly because we have not been able to change the legal framework at federal level," said Giffey. "There is currently no willingness to impose further restrictions on fireworks. So far, no consensus has been reached between the federal states."
Giffey does not believe that complete firework bans are enforceable
However, any ban must also be enforceable. "In a city of almost four million people, a complete blanket ban on firecrackers is not expedient because it cannot be controlled and enforced everywhere," said the SPD politician. "And a sales ban only in Berlin would lead to people buying in nearby federal states or in Poland, where it would not apply." Calls for a ban on the sale of fireworks in Berlin are therefore a sham discussion. "If you want to buy, you'll just buy elsewhere." Giffey was still mayor at the turn of the year 2022/2023 and had sharply criticized the riots and attacks on emergency services. At the same time, she warned against interpreting the New Year's Eve riots as a sign of failed integration policy and, in response, called for a mixture of consistent law enforcement and preventative youth and school social work. After the re-run of the parliamentary elections in February, Giffey became Senator for Economic Affairs in the new black-red Senate.
- Giffey mentioned that the foreign policy situation could potentially exacerbate aggression during New Year's Eve, which could lead to increased conflicts on the streets and schoolyards, similar to what was observed in previous years.
- The Senate is taking measures to ensure a safer New Year's Eve, such as establishing no-fire zones and deploying a large police presence, but Giffey acknowledges that complete firework bans may not be feasible or enforceable with the current legal framework.
- Addressing youth affairs, Giffey emphasized the importance of combining stringent law enforcement with preventative youth and school social work to address the root causes of these issues and promote integration.
Source: www.dpa.com
