The German government on Wednesday condemned New Year's Eve incidents in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured, mostly by fireworks.
Celebrants across the country traditionally usher in the New Year with massive fireworks displays in public spaces. But the latest events were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency personnel.
Meanwhile in Berlin, 30 policemen and one firefighter were injured in clashes or attacks. New Year's EveCity officials said 400 arrests were made. Hundreds of police officers from across the country were deployed to the capital to help prevent further violence.
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German news agency DPA reported that five people were killed and hundreds injured across the country due to the accidental setting off of fireworks.
Explosions of extremely loud, illegal fireworks in Berlin also caused extensive damage in two Berlin neighborhoods and injured several people, some critically. According to the city's fire department, the glass of several houses was severely damaged and several windows were broken due to the powerful explosions.
Thirty-six apartments are currently uninhabitable, the DPA reported.
German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser said that “the deployment of a strong police force by the federal states and the federal police and early and sustained crackdowns are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos.”
“However, the many arrests and new attacks on police officers in Berlin alone show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary.”
He wished a speedy recovery to all the injured officials and vowed that all the culprits “will be prosecuted and given the strictest punishment.”
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