Markus Söder (CSU) hands out a lot against Berlin.Image: IMAGO/Future Image / R.Schmiegelt
Germany
New Year’s Eve was a tough one in several German cities. Police officers and firefighters have been attacked in action, including with firecrackers and rockets. The attacks in the federal capital Berlin were particularly violent.
After attacks on emergency services on New Year’s Eve, the discussion about the consequences has begun.Image: TNN / Julius Christian Schreiner
Markus Söder severely criticizes the capital – “typically Berlin”
The violent and chaotic New Year’s Eve takes the CSU as an opportunity to dish out hard against the SPD-led city. At the forefront of the criticism is the Prime Minister of the Free State of Bavaria, Markus Söder. The CSU politician met with media representatives on the Zugspitze on the snow-covered ski slope with a panorama of the Alps. “It’s typical Berlin again,” he said there about New Year’s Eve.
The reason for his statements: According to him, such chaos is constantly taking place in Berlin. As an example, he mentioned the May Day events. “Berlin is just not really safe,” said Söder. He emphasized that such events would not have happened in other cities – such as Bavaria.
He knows the reason for the chaos in Berlin.
According to Söder, the police have too little backing in the capital. the politics do not stand behind the emergency services. “How can you have respect for a city that can’t even organize its own elections?” he asked. It is “no wonder” that Berlin cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens.
Mayor Franziska Giffey seeks dialogue with emergency services
Harsh words to the governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD). In the middle of the election campaign. Because the state constitutional court had declared the election in September 2021 invalid due to many mishaps and “serious systemic deficiencies”. With consequences. The elections to the House of Representatives are to be repeated in Berlin on February 12.
Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) now has to deal with the violent New Year’s Eve.Image: IMAGO/Future Image / F. Kern
Now the violent New Year’s Eve has sparked a discussion about a nationwide ban on private fireworks. But also about how it could happen that emergency services were attacked so massively.
Giffey says in the “Spiegel” video excerpt: “It is crucial not simply to demand blanket bans, but to think about what can be implemented.” Above all, she is now looking for dialogue with the emergency services. She wants to hear from them what they think is right and makes sense.
Especially in Berlin there were escalations and emergency services were attacked with rockets and firecrackers. Image: dpa / Christophe Gateau
61 percent of Germans would now support a ban on private fireworks. This was the result of a survey by the opinion research institute “YouGov”. 41 percent are “completely” in favor, 20 percent “rather”. However, 33 percent reject such a ban, and 6 percent made no statement.
The CSU not only expresses criticism, but goes one step further: It demands financial consequences for the SPD-led capital.
CSU politician Alexander Dobrindt demands consequences for Berlin
If the head of the CSU state group, Alexander Dobrindt, has his way, Berlin should in future receive less money from the financial pot of the states. “The state financial equalization creates significant misguided incentives and ensures that inefficiency and mismanagement are financially rewarded, as in Berlin,” said Dobrindt of the “picture“.
According to Alexander Dobrindt, head of the CSU state group, Bavaria should no longer pay for Berlin.Image: dpa / Kay Nietfeld
He thinks that those who do not operate soundly and who repeatedly fail with total failure in terms of security, administration and electoral organization should make cutbacks in the financial equalization of the federal states in the future.
Bavaria is one of the donors when it comes to balancing the financial strength of the federal states. Berlin, on the other hand, was the main beneficiary, receiving 3.6 billion euros in surcharges, at least according to data from 2021. “Bavaria should no longer pay for Berlin”, judges the CSU politician.
(With material from the dpa)
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