In the German capital, the police did everything they could to stop the mayhem on New Year’s Eve. In addition to the regular police force, almost 4,000 police officers were deployed, but it was not enough, help was also taken from several other regions from all parts of the country.
According to the police, there were attacks against both the police and the emergency services in all parts of the city. They were pelted with rockets and had different forms of pyrotechnics thrown at them.
Riots, looting and attacks
As police in Berlin summed up the night during the afternoon of New Year’s Day, there were a number of incidents that stood out.
A serious riot occurred in the Neukölln district. A road had been blocked off with the help of road signs and when a man turned into the street he was suddenly attacked. He tried to turn around, but was then pelted with fireworks and firecrackers by a larger group of people.
When he tried to escape and leave the car, rockets were fired into the car, which caught fire.
In the same district, a police vehicle was fired upon repeatedly with fireworks. When the police managed to arrest several young people, one person suddenly attacked. A policeman was jumped on and kicked. In connection with the arrest, two police officers were injured.
Several people were injured in the Tegel district after a so-called “bullet bomb” detonated. Eight people were affected, including a child who suffered life-threatening injuries. In Prenzlauer Berg, a policeman was also injured by a so-called “bullet bomb” and had to undergo emergency surgery.
A pharmacy in Schöneberg had its windows smashed before it was looted by several people, the police were later able to arrest three suspected perpetrators.
Several dead in Germany
During the night, the police announced that over 300 people had been arrested and that 37 police officers had been injured in Berlin.
– We have 330 people who have been detained, said Berlin police spokesman Florian Nath during the morning.
On New Year’s Day, the police were able to announce that that number was around 400.
A total of five people have died during the celebrations in Germany, reports the German news agency DPA.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has also commented on the events. She praised the police and emergency services and pointed out that the only way to deal with the problem was to crack down on the perpetrators of violence.
“Resolutely striking against the perpetrators of violence and chaos is the right way,” Faeser writes in a statement.
She also believes that the many arrests indicate that the massive police effort was necessary and promised that all perpetrators would be “prosecuted and severely punished”.