Three firecracker deaths, attacks on emergency services and more than 300 arrests in Berlin

New Year's Eve 23/24 - Three firecracker deaths, attacks on emergency services and more than 300 arrests in Berlin

Despite many police operations, numerous injuries and even several deaths across Germany, the turn of the year was calmer in Germany than last year. In the capital Berlin, where there were the biggest riots in Germany on New Year's Eve 2022/23, the police were satisfied with the number of operations this time. In the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was also quieter this year than last, but New Year's Eve was once again overshadowed by numerous attacks on emergency services. There were serious accidents involving fireworks throughout Germany.

In Bavaria, an 18-year-old died from injuries caused by a firecracker. According to the police, the young man threw a firecracker into a plastic pipe in Eschlkam in the Upper Palatinate to make it explode. When his head was above the pipe, the firecracker exploded and injured his head. In Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, an 18-year-old also died on New Year's Eve after setting off a firecracker. According to police reports, a 22-year-old man died in Boxberg in eastern Saxony when a banned ball bomb was set off. On Saturday, a 40-year-old man in Berlin had already lost a hand when setting off a signal rocket.

On New Year's Day, the police in the capital summed up that the concept of no-fire zones and pre-defined hotspot areas had worked. A spokeswoman said that "consistent and low-threshold intervention" had succeeded in avoiding flashpoints. The significantly increased police presence in the city had also led to more arrests. According to the information, more than 3,200 police officers were deployed in addition to around 1,000 police officers in patrol cars and guards.

According to the latest police figures, around 390 people were provisionally arrested in Berlin on New Year's Eve - many for violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act. 54 police officers were injured, 30 of them by pyrotechnics, said the spokeswoman on New Year's Eve. Eight of the injured police officers were unable to continue their duties. At the turn of the year, 720 investigations were opened into incidents throughout the city between 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 6 a.m. on January 1. The figures are provisional and events are still being evaluated.

The police union (GdP) was pleased on New Year's Day that "the trend towards more and more violence on New Year's Eve" had been halted. But the courts must now convict the perpetrators as quickly as possible, said union chairman Jochen Kopelke to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND, Monday/online). "So far, this has been the absolute exception, because the attacks are often committed from the protection of an anonymous group." The aim must be to identify individual perpetrators in larger groups more quickly, also with the help of modern technology.

Governing Mayor: Operational concept successful

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) considered the police operation on New Year's Eve a success. "A strong presence, consistent action and full backing for our police help to keep such situations under control," Wegner announced on Monday on the Internet portal X, formerly Twitter. "Berlin had the situation under control." The operational concept was a success. Wegner had previously announced that the police would take tough action in the event of rioting.

According to the police, firecrackers and rockets were repeatedly fired at police officers and firefighters throughout Berlin. There was no particular local focus. Many very loud explosions also pointed to illegal firecrackers.

Seit 0 Uhr schon 500 Einsätze bei der @Berliner_Fw , darunter viele Kleinbrände.
So wie hier am #Schöneberger_Ufer in #Tiergarten, wo die #Freiwillige_Feuerwehr aus Prenzlauer Berg aktuell einen Pkw löscht. pic.twitter.com/PTv9V6gqxX

— Berliner Feuerwehr (@Berliner_Fw) January 1, 2024

New Year's Eve also ended in hospital for numerous revelers: 27 people were treated for serious injuries caused by firecrackers at the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin alone. The hospital spoke of "dramatic amputation injuries" in some cases. Blast injuries to the hands and face, serious eye injuries and burns were diagnosed, the hospital announced this morning on the online platform X (formerly Twitter).

Fireworks at the Brandenburg Gate again

According to the organizers, around 65,000 people celebrated peacefully at the traditional New Year's Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate. According to a spokesperson, the party on the festival mile between the Berlin landmark and the Victory Column was sold out. For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, there was a firework display. The New Year's Eve party was broadcast live as a show on ZDF.

Calmer than last year in NRW - but 21 police officers injured

Despite a quieter New Year's Eve overall than in 2022/23, 21 police officers were injured during operations in North Rhine-Westphalia. This was significantly fewer than a year ago, when 43 officers were injured. The officers were injured by pyrotechnics, for example, according to a preliminary assessment by the State Office for Central Police Services. Most of the police officers remained fit for duty, said a spokeswoman. Some had suffered blast trauma. After massive attacks last New Year's Eve, the Ministry of the Interior had increased the number of police officers on duty to more than 6600.

From Sunday evening at 6 p.m. to Monday morning at 6 a.m., the police in NRW counted 1,186 people who were ordered to leave the scene on New Year's Eve (previous year: 1,358). 154 people were taken into custody (previous year 215). 26 (previous year 25) were provisionally arrested. 210 people were injured by other people. In the previous year, 238 people were injured. The number of crimes recorded to date was on a par with the previous year. The turn of the year was celebrated under high security measures at Cologne Cathedral following a terror alert.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul condemned the renewed attacks on emergency services on New Year's Eve "in the strongest terms". "There are still too many people running around who have not learned how to deal with each other," said the CDU politician in Düsseldorf on Monday. "We need to recognize the causes as a society and take decisive action to combat them." Respect and decent behavior must be learned again.

Tense situation in Lower Saxony on New Year's Eve

In the municipality of Lilienthal near Bremen, which was threatened by flooding, New Year's Eve was very much characterized by the tense situation. "Of course, it wasn't a normal New Year's Eve for the people here," said municipal spokeswoman Marilena Koch on New Year's Day. Almost everyone in the community was affected by the floods in some way and there has been great solidarity for days. According to Koch, the ban on fireworks has helped. "That worked well," she said.

Not a single fire department operation was necessary due to New Year's Eve fireworks, and the police managed with just a few warnings. On New Year's Day, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser wanted to get an idea of the flooding situation in Lower Saxony.

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Police in Berlin reported a decrease in criminality on New Year's Eve compared to the previous year, despite several fires caused by fireworks. In Berlin, the number of operations was lower, but there were still numerous injuries and arrests. Kai Wegner, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, declared the police operation a success. In other parts of Germany, like North Rhine-Westphalia, fewer police officers were injured but attacks on emergency services persisted.

Fireworks proved to be hazardous, causing injuries and even deaths in several incidents. An 18-year-old in Eschlkam, Bavaria, died after a firecracker explosion, while another 18-year-old in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, was killed by a firecracker blast. A 22-year-old man in Boxberg, eastern Saxony, died after using a banned ball bomb.

Berlin's fire department faced numerous challenges, reporting over 500 calls related to fires and other emergencies on New Year's Eve. The fire department also handled a vehicle fire in Tiergarten, where the Freiwillige Feuerwehr (volunteer fire department) from Prenzlauer Berg assisted.

Hospitals saw a surge in injuries, with Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin treating 27 individuals for severe injuries, including "dramatic amputation injuries," "blast injuries," and "serious eye injuries." The Brandenburg Gate hosted the traditional New Year's Eve party with around 65,000 people in attendance.

Notably, North Rhine-Westphalia, which faced massive attacks on emergency services last New Year's Eve, reported fewer injuries among police officers this year. Lower Saxony, facing a tense situation due to floods, saw minimal fireworks-related incidents and managed with few warnings from authorities on New Year's Eve.

Source: www.stern.de