Amid riots and attacks on police in Berlin and other German cities, police unions have called for a ban on fireworks for personal use.
The Berlin police union has asked for a ban on the sale of fireworks to private individuals in Germany, RIA Novosti reported.
“We need a ban on fireworks for personal use… Otherwise we will be talking about serious riots again next year,” Coalition spokesman Benjamin Yendro told Rbb Inforadio radio. His words came amid riots and attacks on police on New Year's Eve in Berlin and other cities.
Jendro emphasized that this year's New Year's Eve situation, although quieter than a year ago, is still far from normal. Union representatives noted numerous attacks on police using artillery and rockets, as well as arson and arson.
According to Berlin police, 430 people were detained overnight from December 31 to January 1. A total of 35 law enforcement officers were injured, 22 of them from fireworks attacks. Two police officers were hospitalized. The situation was especially difficult in the Moabit area, where a crowd of up to 500 people attacked police and started arson.
Street riots and arson have also been reported in other cities across the country. In Hamburg, fireworks were shot towards houses and police forces, requiring emergency intervention by law enforcement. In Leipzig, on the streets of the Connewitz district, unknown people built barricades from trash cans, burned them, and threw bottles and stones at the police.
The Police Federation launched a petition to ban fireworks and has so far been supported by more than 3 million people. However, at a meeting between the German Interior Ministers and the states in December, no consensus was reached on this issue.
Previously in Berlin on New Year's Eve, police arrested about 430 people.
In France, attackers burned more than 800 cars on New Year's Eve.
In Brussels, gangs staged riots and attacked police.
