Storm in Germany after New Year's Eve. Minister under fire. “Many people no longer feel safe on the streets.”
Mass violence against security services on New Year's Eve and accidents caused by fireworks and crackers, in which people died and many were injured, have sparked calls for more decisive action. A representative of the ruling coalition announces a reaction.
— The growing ruthlessness and insidiousness of the perpetrators of violence, who attack not only our law enforcement services with firecrackers and rockets, are an expression of unacceptable brutalization and will not remain unanswered – emphasizes CDU politician Alexander Throm in an interview with “Die Welt”.
“Anyone who attacks our police, fire and rescue services must feel that this country protects its guards to the fullest extent of the law,” he says. He adds that this will be pushed by ministers at the federal and national levels “by increasing the number of policemen on the streets, consistent prosecution of crimes, faster prosecutions and clear boundaries instead of ignoring and relativizing.”
Throm notes that violent riots, the use of “Polish firecrackers” and self-made pyrotechnic articles are already prohibited today. — It is necessary to punish criminals quickly and consistently, he emphasizes.
Vice-chairman of the SPD faction [wchodzącej w skład koalicji] Sonja Eichwede referred to the proposal of the federal Minister of Justice from the SPD, Stefanie Hubig harsher penalties for physical attacks on police, fire brigades and rescue services. According to them, such crimes would in the future be punishable by at least six months' imprisonment. In turn, anyone who lures emergency services into an ambush and attacks them would receive a penalty of at least one year in prison.
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— At the same time, we see that attacks using pyrotechnics and firecrackers play a big role on New Year's Eve, especially in metropolitan regions, says Eichwede. — Firecracker ban zones, such as those in Berlin, have already brought results. It might make sense to expand cities' freedom to define such zones to better respond to on-site emergencies.
Martin Hess, an AfD politician dealing with domestic politics, talks about downplaying the situation in Berlin. — If Berlin police classify New Year's Eve, during which police officers and rescue workers were again attacked, as “less problematic” due to the lack of serious injuries, this is an admission of defeat – thinks.
According to him, such a presentation of the situation gives the impression that people have become accustomed to areas of lawlessness and violence against the state, “or that the catastrophic situation is consciously downplayed.”
Fireworks were set off on a street in Leipzig, Saxony, on January 1, 2026.SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/DPA/dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP / AFP
Also in Hamburg and Leipzig, policemen were attacked and injured using pyrotechnic materials. In his opinion, all this is the result of “decades-long policy detached from reality.” According to the Federal Criminal Office, in 2024, police officers were attacked more than 106,000 times, and almost 35%. the suspects did not have a German passport. — These numbers are an expression of the progressive disintegration of the state and the loss of control, for which the ruling parties are solely responsible, he believes.
“We finally need an uncompromising zero-tolerance strategy,” says Hess. — Any foreigner who disregards our values and laws must be deported. The fact that the state no longer provides any of these things is a political scandal and an expression of the bankruptcy of the security policy of those responsible for politics.
“It's worth looking at where anger comes from”
The vice-chairman of the Green Party, Konstantin von Notz, holds Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt responsible. – From our point of view, it is completely incomprehensible that the Minister of the Interior did not support cities and municipalities in Germany last night and did not provide them with legal protection so that people could be adequately protected on New Year's Eve, he says.
In many places, the uncontrolled use of New Year's Eve fireworks has repeatedly escalated. — The uncontrolled use of firecrackers makes interventions on New Year's Eve more and more dangerous also for doctors, police and fire brigades, notes the politician. Also for this reason, the police union he loudly and clearly criticized the use of firecrackers by private individuals and called on the government to take action.
— Many people who want to celebrate in a quiet atmosphere, often no longer feel safe on the streets of our country. However, the Minister of Internal Affairs shirked responsibility and refused to take quick action. In this way, Dobrindt is not fulfilling his duties, he argues.
Police officers walk past a burning garbage container in the eastern part of Leipzig, January 1, 2026.SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/DPA/dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP / AFP
According to him, the task is simple and clear: Dobrindt must change the regulation on explosives. — Because cities and municipalities that want to combat the abuse of fireworks urgently need a clear legal framework, he adds. In his opinion, in order for the federal states to have the freedom to introduce bans on the use of firecrackers in large areas, the regulation on the Explosives Act should be amended at the federal level.
Member of the Bundestag from the Left (Die Linke), Clara Buenger, believes that the state also bears other responsibility for violence and it's worth looking at where anger comes from. — Cuts in youth institutions, reintroduction of military service or brutal and restrictive treatment of demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine. Many young people in Germany feels left to their own devicesmisunderstood and lonely: a fundamental change must take place here, he argues.
Moreover, New Year's Eve showed again that A ban on the use of firecrackers is urgently needed. Two 18-year-olds died in Bielefeld, and a trauma hospital in Berlin received 30 injured people overnight, including eight minors. – This clearly shows that firecrackers pose a threat especially to young people, but also to the environment and animals – adds Buenger.
On New Year's Eve, attacks on emergency services were reported in several German cities, including: in Berlin. A total of about 400 people were temporarily detained in the capital, and 21 police officers suffered injuries caused by the sound of firecrackers. In addition, many people were injured when shooting fireworks.
