With the sound of the clock in Belgium, the new year also started in other European cities such as Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Rome, after Oceania and Asia had already waved goodbye to 2022. Unlike the past two years, which were dominated by the pandemic, the New Year was able to be celebrated in most places without too many restrictive measures. In Berlin, the police have their hands full with attacks on aid workers.
The Champs-Élysées near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was completely full. There, about a million spectators attended the enormous fireworks. The spectacle could not continue for the past two years, but now again caused a crowd. The police were present en masse to ensure that the event ran smoothly and there were strict access rules.
In the Netherlands, the announced fireworks ban was ignored in many places. This was the case in Rotterdam, for example, where the sound of bang fireworks could be heard en masse since the end of the afternoon. There were not many police on the street, Dutch media reported. In Amsterdam the picture was no different. Fireworks were also set off there all New Year’s Eve. Around midnight Dam Square was full of people counting down to midnight. Although occasionally fireworks were set off, it remained relatively quiet.
In Edinburgh, where the new year started one hour later, there were mainly many raincoats and umbrellas on display from visitors who braved the downpours.
It also rained in London. More than 100,000 people celebrated New Year’s Eve in the British capital on Sunday evening with a gigantic 12-minute fireworks display in front of the iconic London Eye ferris wheel. The Queen, who died in September 2022, was also commemorated. At midnight, Big Ben chimed twelve times to ring in the new year.
Attacks on aid workers in Berlin
The police and fire brigade in Berlin speak of a “busy night”, with much more work than during the past two years. But also compared to the time before the corona period, there are significantly more attacks on aid workers, a police spokesperson told the German news agency DPA.
Police officers had to take action in Berlin because of, among other things, fights and fireworks that were thrown at passers-by, emergency workers and buildings. For the past two years, fireworks have been banned throughout Germany due to the corona measures, this year there are different rules everywhere.
Elsewhere in Germany there were also various disturbances. In Düsseldorf, where the city center was “packed”, the police acted because of rioters. In Frankfurt, a pedestrian bridge was closed by the police because too many visitors tried to watch the fireworks. In the southern German region of Baden-Württemberg, a man was seriously injured in the face by exploding fireworks. He was taken by helicopter to a special clinic.
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