In view of the riots on New Year’s Eve and attacks on the police and fire brigade, Berlin’s Greens co-group leader Werner Graf is calling for a new event concept with several official New Year’s Eve celebrations spread across the city, based on the model of the festival at the Brandenburg Gate.
It makes sense to learn from experiences, for example from May 1st. This includes organizing large, peaceful celebrations on special days, Graf said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel.
“On New Year’s Eve we could have six to twelve big festivals across the city with official fireworks, where we can get half a million to a million people celebrating together peacefully without firing rockets there ourselves.”
There will be fewer people on the other streets, making it easier for the police to identify and track criminals.
Green co-group leader Werner Graf on the advantages of several official New Year’s Eve celebrations in Berlin
Even if potential rioters did not go to the official festivals themselves, the concept was advantageous from the point of view of the security forces, as it made it easier for the groups to separate, Graf said. “At the big celebrations, there are mainly people who don’t commit crimes and want to celebrate safely. We need fewer police there. And then there are fewer people on the other streets, making it easier for the police to identify and track criminals.”
Overall, the Green politician is convinced that fewer security forces would be needed as a result. “By separating peaceful partyers and firecrackers, we would achieve positive effects much faster and relieve the police.”
Riots broke out in Berlin on New Year’s Eve. Police and firefighters were also deliberately attacked with firecrackers and alarm guns. Some of them had been lured into ambushes beforehand.
According to Tagesspiegel information from police ranks, there were 38 cases of attacks on rescue workers. In two-thirds of these, the perpetrators were German citizens. Most of those arrested were under 21 years old.
In particular, scenes from Neukölln, where, among other things, a bus was set on fire in the High Deck settlement, caused a stir and triggered a nationwide debate. On Wednesday, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) is inviting people to a youth summit with representatives from politics, the police, the fire brigade and social work, among others.
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