Despite accidents, clashes and arrests, police believe that this time Germany has “successfully” celebrated the New Year.
At least five people died in Germany on the night of January 1, 2025, due to careless handling of fireworks and the use of homemade pyrotechnics. In addition, in Berlin alone, police detained about 400 people for disturbing public order during the celebrations.
Deutsche Welle reports this, citing police reports and media reports.
Five fatalities in one night
The publication notes that the five people who died on New Year's Eve were men aged 20 to 50. One of them, a 24-year-old resident of North Rhine-Westphalia, died after he detonated a firework in the middle of a field.
“The investigation into the incident is ongoing, but due to the strong explosion, it is assumed that it was a homemade device,” the journalists note.
Two more deaths from fireworks occurred in Saxony. In the town of Oschatz, a 45-year-old man suffered a severe head injury and died in hospital a few hours later. According to the police, he detonated a powerful F4 firework, which is prohibited by law for ordinary citizens to buy and use, as it requires training and a license to use it. And not far from Döbeln, a 50-year-old man died on the spot as a result of head injuries incompatible with life due to the detonation of a homemade pyrotechnic product.
The youngest victims of the New Year's explosions are a 20-year-old resident of Hamburg and a 21-year-old resident of the Brandenburg city of Kremmen.
In addition, there were several incidents with fireworks in the state of Brandenburg, as a result of which three people were hospitalized with severe burns. And in Berlin, several Germans lost fingers or parts of their hands due to unsuccessful detonation of pyrotechnics. In Munich, three children were injured, and in Rostock, a ten-year-old boy received serious head injuries after a firework exploded in his face.
Arrests and clashes on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve in Germany was also marked by riots and clashes with the police. For example, in Leipzig, about 150 young people shot firecrackers at each other. The “targets” of the offenders were also cars and trams. One of the shots set a trash can on fire.
In Hamburg, Dresden and several cities, revelers attacked police officers and rescue workers with fireworks and firecrackers. As a result of the clashes, 13 police officers were injured. One of them received severe burns, another was hit in the leg by a firecracker, which required immediate surgery.
According to police, almost 390 people who violated public order were arrested in Berlin alone on New Year's Eve. Many of them were detained specifically because of the dangerous use of fireworks.
But despite the accidents, clashes and arrests, the police believe that this time Germany “successfully” celebrated the New Year. The publication notes that Germans celebrate New Year's Eve “with particularly intensive use of pyrotechnics,” which each time leads to a large number of injuries, excessive noise and air pollution.
Recall that, according to a German sociology professor, New Year's Eve “has become a space for violence.” Despite the authorities' efforts to make the streets safe, women and teenagers practically disappeared from public space on New Year's Eve due to fear of violence.
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