Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser fears there will be renewed violent riots in several cities on New Year’s Eve. “I am worried that New Year’s Eve could again be a day on which we have to experience blind rage and senseless violence in some cities, for example against police officers or rescue workers,” said the SPD politician to the editorial network Germany. At the same time, she expressed concern that the riots could mix with the riots of radicalized Palestinians.
There is now a general increase in the willingness to use violence on days like New Year’s Eve, said Faeser. “And of course we have to keep a very close eye on the danger that this will also mix with the radicalization that we are now seeing in view of the Middle East conflict.”
However, federal states and police forces prepared for New Year’s Eve differently this time than last year. At that time, young men rioted with firecrackers and rockets in several Berlin districts on New Year’s Eve. They also threw and shot firecrackers at police officers and firefighters. Similar scenes also took place in other major cities. “For me, this uninhibited violence is completely incomprehensible and cannot be justified in any way,” emphasized Faeser.
