Berlin experiences severe excesses of violence against police officers and rescue workers on New Year’s Eve. More than 140 perpetrators are arrested and then released. The police are now giving more details.
After the New Year’s Eve riots in Berlin, the police released information about the arrested perpetrators. Accordingly, 145 people were provisionally arrested in connection with the riots, most of them men. All suspects were released after the police measures were completed.
According to the police, 18 different nationalities were recorded. 45 of the suspects have German citizenship. This was followed by 27 suspects of Afghan nationality and 21 Syrians. The police originally put the number at 159 arrests. This is due to double counting, explains a police spokesman. The figures should still be considered provisional.
While most of the arrested New Year’s Eve rioters are able to return home, the political debate over the violence against police and rescue workers continues to gather momentum. In order to prevent such attacks in the future, a round table with politicians and practitioners as well as new approaches in integration policy are needed quickly, the police union (GdP) demanded. “We need this debate immediately, and we need results, clear concepts and a plan of who has to implement what,” said GdP federal chairman Jochen Kopelke. A night of action with shocking incidents like the one on Sunday night shouldn’t be repeated next year, he emphasized, “so the time frame is set.”
On the night of New Year’s Day, police officers and firefighters were attacked in several cities, including with firecrackers and rockets. The attacks were particularly violent in some areas of Berlin. It is not yet known how many of the 41 police officers injured in action are temporarily unable to work. The spokesman only said that a police officer who had suffered serious burn injuries has now been released from the hospital.
In many cases, “group dynamic processes, alcohol abuse, socialization deficits and the availability of pyrotechnic objects led to this startling escalation,” said GdP chairman Kopelke. At the same time, he warned against “generally labeling people and declaring them lost”. People in the affected parts of the city must condemn the attacks and find ways to prevent such acts in the future. The police can advise here, but they cannot solve the problems alone.
