Hundreds throw pyrotechnics at each other and the police
More than 5,000 police officers are deployed in Berlin on New Year's Eve to prevent riots and excesses like the previous year. The first deployment is reported from the busy Alexanderplatz. The governing mayor Wegner speaks of a "night of repression".
In Berlin, around 500 people threw pyrotechnics at each other near Alexanderplatz on New Year's Eve. The police dispersed the group at the Neptune Fountain and checked for fireworks, the police said on X. "Pyrotechnics were thrown at our forces from a group of around 200 people who were at the Rathauspassagen", the statement continued. Arrests were therefore made.
Alexanderplatz had previously been declared a no-fireworks zone. Sonnenallee in Berlin-Neukölln was also defined as a hotspot area and was cordoned off for several hundred meters in the evening. Passers-by had to show their bags because fireworks were also prohibited in the zones. The police were deployed with numerous police cars. A helicopter controlled the area from the air.
A large police force was deployed on New Year's Eve to ensure peace and order on the streets of Berlin: around 3,500 police officers patrolled the no-firework zones and more than 1,000 police officers were deployed in patrol cars and police stations. 500 federal police officers monitored the train stations. They were also tasked with protecting firefighters and rescue workers who were massively attacked on New Year's Eve a year ago.
"Night of repression"
At the beginning of New Year's Eve, Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner threatened rioters with tough action. "Tonight is the night, if necessary, the night of repression, where the rule of law will try to assert itself," said the CDU politician during a visit to a police station on Sonnenallee in Neukölln.
Iris Spranger, the senator responsible for the interior, promised that those who "want to cause a ruckus" would not only be pulled out, but would also face the legal consequences. Spranger referred to the use of bodycams by firefighters and police officers. "Everything that happens in the city is also tracked digitally," she said.
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Despite the deployment of hundreds of international police officers, the chaos at Alexanderplatz on New Year's Eve continued, with pyrotechnics being thrown in all directions. The situation was so chaotic that even the designated no-fireworks zone could not prevent the use of illegal fireworks. The police struggled to maintain order, with numerous arrests made due to the violent behavior of some individuals.
Source: www.ntv.de
