New Year's Eve - Neukölln's mayor takes a skeptical view of firework ban zones
Neukölln's mayor Martin Hikel (SPD) doubts the sense of the additional firecracker ban zone announced for New Year's Eve in the Sonnenallee and Hermannplatz area. "I have a certain skepticism about firecracker ban zones. It certainly provides some peace and quiet directly in the ban zone, but it also ties up a lot of police resources due to its implementation", Hikel told the "Berliner Morgenpost" (Wednesday).
Hikel: It has never been quiet in Neukölln on New Year's Eve
"A nationwide ban on the sale of fireworks would certainly be more effective than such a selective ban. Instead, it would be better to offer decentralized fireworks displays," suggested the SPD politician. "Better to have a few nice rockets at Neukölln town hall instead of just letting everyone set off fireworks."
Hikel is reluctant to predict what can be expected for the coming New Year's Eve: "I honestly don't want to venture a forecast. In general, however, it has never been quiet in Neukölln on New Year's Eve," he said. "Even when I was still really celebrating New Year's Eve here 20 years ago, young people were already seeking conflict with the state and people were shooting at passers-by and buses with blank guns in Hermannstraße."
However, the riots last year took on a new dimension. "This attack on the emergency services, deliberately luring them into an ambush, I really did perceive that as new and threatening."
Fire and rescue services visited youth clubs
Over the course of the year, there have been a number of prevention measures, such as visits to youth clubs by members of the fire and rescue services. "They made it clear to the young people: if you attack us, your grandma might die of a heart attack a few meters away because we arrive too late," said Hikel.
The police have also offered young people the chance to get to know each other. "I am optimistic that these measures have at least led to a bit of a rethink among some of them," said the SPD politician. "But it would also be naive to believe that we have been able to convert everyone and that the young people have become angels. In other words: it will certainly not be completely calm on New Year's Eve."
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Source: www.stern.de
