New Year’s Eve at Kottbusser Damm: Massive firecracker attack on Berlin police forces Photo: Spreepicture/Ralf Günther
By Axel Lier
For more than four hours, politicians from all parties spoke in the interior committee on Monday about the riots on New Year’s Eve. A comment from BZ editor Axel Lier.
The debate was heated at times, and the positions were to be expected. The result: manageable.
Will Interior Senator Iris Spranger’s (SPD) 7-point plan work? I doubt it. Why exactly did young people – with and without a migration background – escalate? shrug. Would more police have provided more security at night? Nobody can say for sure.
“Instead of explaining to us how we have to deal with operational situations, politicians should lay the foundations so that we even have the chance to do so,” said Stephan Weh, the country head of the police union (GdP). He denounced bogus debates and patronage politics. There is frustration about this in the departments of his colleagues.
As a police reporter, I have regular contact with police officers. On Monday, after work, a young family man who is part of a group of hundreds asked me: “What do politicians say about New Year’s Eve?” My answer: sports clubs, a ban on firecrackers and bodycams.
He just smiled tiredly and shook his head.