Law enforcement and emergency services personnel were attacked across Germany on New Year’s Eve, with the majority of attacks occurring in Berlin.
Firecrackers were deliberately thrown at police, rockets were aimed at rescuers, firefighters were under fire. As a result, several employees were injured.
BILD correspondents spent the entire New Year’s Eve documenting violence against emergency workers.
Berlin
In the Neukölln area, nearby unknown persons set fires on fire. When the police tried to stop it, they were targeted with pyrotechnics. The police were forced to retreat. Two cars and the facades of houses were damaged by explosive devices. One of the aggressors, hiding his face, proudly declared:
There are no laws in Neukölln, here we are in command, not the police!
In the Kreuzberg area, the crew of a patrol car noticed damage to a window from a pyrotechnic device. 15 minutes after midnight, as police with their sirens activated were driving along Ramlerstrasse in Berlin-Gesundbrunnen, they heard a loud explosion and discovered a hole in the glass on the passenger side of their car.
In the Prenzlauer Berg area (at Prenzlauer Allee and the corner of Danziger Strasse) a culebomb was heard at about 00.50. As a result, one policeman from the task force received severe leg injuries and was urgently hospitalized. Another employee was shot in the arms and was also taken to hospital. Three other police officers nearby ended their shift after the attack.
In the Charlottenburg area (at Joachimstalstrasse and the corner of Kurfürstendamm) at about 00.20, a policeman was standing at the back of his car when a firecracker exploded nearby. The employee was injured and taken to the clinic with complaints of headache and ear pain. He was forced to end his shift.
In the Neukölln area (at Teupitzer Strasse and the corner of Kihlufer), at 2.00 a group of 15-20 people fired pyrotechnics at police cars. Police detained two teenagers and seven older people. During the arrest, one of the youths attacked the policeman, jumping on his back and hitting him. As a result, he was injured. During the arrest, two police officers were injured, one of whom was forced to end his service.
However, attacks on emergency services did not only occur in Berlin. There have also been attacks using pyrotechnics in other cities.
Weimar (Thuringia)
The situation escalated shortly after midnight. On Goethe Square, a group of pyrotechnicians fired at a police car that burst into flames. When the fire was extinguished, police and firefighters were again attacked with pyrotechnics.
Leipzig (Saxony)
One of the policemen was wounded, but remained on duty. About 50 people repeatedly attacked emergency services, throwing firecrackers, rockets and bottles. Cars and trams have also reportedly been targeted, according to witnesses.
Hamburg
Police officers here became targets of rockets and pyrotechnics, leading to scenes of pursuit throughout the city.
Kiel (Schleswig-Holstein)
When the ambulance tried to save a patient with a heart attack, the police arriving at the scene attacked a group of 70-80 people. 26 police officers were on the scene, using sniffer dogs and pepper spray to allow paramedics to continue their work.
During these incidents, 14 of the 37 police officers were injured by pyrotechnic devices.
Police are investigating 670 cases, mostly related to violations of laws related to carrying and using weapons, using explosives, assaulting police, resisting authority, arson and bodily harm.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.