they did mention that in the article
I don’t think it’s related. It’s been a new years tradition in Berlin for years.
I have friends and family in Berlin and I spent new year’s Eve there five years ago. It was totally crazy. People shooting fireworks at each other in the streets and from/to the balconies.
I ended up with a jacket full of burn holes, and we were in a kind of quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.
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In German news they say its more like 400 arrested, and there was the little fact that police presence was higher than normal. More police equal more arrestings.
That checks out. I live near a college town where for 2-3 years there was a rash of “college riots” where police tear-gassed everyone in the streets when they felt it was getting out of hand. The solution to keeping the students from rioting ended up being… stop sending cops out there. Everything was fine.
Have you ever been to Berlin at Silvester? It got out of hand the past years and got incredibly violent. People are shooting rockets at each other and into buildings, and it often starts mass fights.
Police has nothing to do with it.
Not directly. They can do more if presented. That’s overall the fact. I mean it isn’t allowed to fire up fireworks before 0:00. But everyone does it everywhere.
The commenter I replied to claimed the exact opposite.
Last year was a lot worse. The police direktor said they were prepared a lot better this year and injuries amongst police and fire department were minor. People buy illegal fireworks in Poland like firework shells and light them on the streets without the mortar tubes. Looks pretty apocalyptic.
