German Firefighters, Police Attacked on 'Terrifying' New Year in Berlin
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Firefighters and police in the German capital, Berlin, have reported multiple attacks while trying to do their jobs on a "terrifying" New Year.
In the statement made by the Berlin Fire Brigade, it was stated that the fire brigade in Berlin was on duty 1717 times and intervened in the fire 749 times on New Year’s Eve, Amsterdam Fox reported.
It was stated that 38 attacks occurred on firefighters and vehicles on duty and 15 firefighters were injured in the events that broke out during the celebrations in the city.
In the statement, it was noted that at least 22 people were injured in fireworks accidents in the city during the New Year celebrations.
It was reported that fire broke out in many houses on New Year’s Eve, unidentified people set fire to a street in the Lichtenrade district, and many people who covered their faces attacked the firefighters who came to the scene with stone and iron sticks.
In the statement, which stated that a bus burned down and the firefighters who came to the scene were attacked in the Neukölln district, the statement said, “The Berlin fire department was prepared for the busiest night of the year with its personnel and vehicles. However, the scale and intensity of the attack against our teams surprised us.”
In the statement made by the Berlin police, it was announced that besides the firefighters, attacks were also carried out on the police and those working in public transport.
While 18 police officers were injured in the attacks, it was reported that 103 people, 5 of whom were women, were detained for crimes such as arson, violations related to explosives and attacks on the police on New Year’s Eve.
Karsten Homrighausen, Director of the Berlin Fire Brigade, reacted to the attacks on firefighters and their vehicles and said, “These attacks cannot be justified in any way.”
Stating that those who run to the people waiting for emergency help should be protected, Homgrighausen announced that they will file a criminal complaint about every attack.
Berlin State Prime Minister Franziska Giffey also said in a statement on Twitter that she condemned the attacks against the police and firefighters, and that she was deeply shaken by the destruction with the tendency to use violence there.
On the other hand, in the news in the German press, it was stated that at least two people died on the server of fireworks accidents and many people were seriously injured.
It was reported that a 17-year-old teenager who was seriously injured during the use of fireworks in the city of Leipzig died in the hospital where he was taken, and a person died as a result of being hit by a vehicle while firing fireworks on the street in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
It was stated that in the city of Gotha, two arms of a person who was seriously injured as a result of the explosion of the fireworks he bought online, were cut off, and in the city of Schleiz, a 21-year-old person lost his hand in a firework accident.
