Germany
German government condemns attacks on New Year’s Eve
The German government has condemned the numerous attacks on the police and emergency services on New Year’s Eve. However, she sees no reason for a national ban on pyrotechnics at the end of the year.
Firefighters extinguish a coach that had been set on fire by unknown persons. Photo: Paul Zinken/dpa
“The Federal Government, and of course the Federal Chancellor, condemns these massive attacks on police and fire brigade operations, volunteers and journalists on New Year’s Eve in the strongest possible terms,” said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Monday in Berlin.
The government has great confidence in the investigative authorities of the countries that the perpetrators would be consistently identified. She added: “The rule of law must not allow people who celebrate peacefully in our cities and emergency services who are on duty to be exposed to such attacks.”
When asked whether a ban on firecrackers and New Year’s Eve rockets was being considered, a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior referred to existing prohibition rules – for example in the vicinity of hospitals and retirement homes – and the possibility for states and municipalities to set up so-called firecracker ban zones.
In several German cities, police and rescue workers were hindered in their work on New Year’s Eve and fired on with firecrackers and rockets. The police and fire brigade in Berlin experienced a particularly large number of brutal attacks.
(SDA)