German government condemns New Year's Eve violence after hundreds of arrests

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Wednesday condemned a series of incidents on New Year’s Eve in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured, mostly with fireworks.

Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year by setting off large numbers of fireworks in public places. But the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency officials.

In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured in confrontations or attacks during New Year’s Eve, leading to 400 arrests, city officials said. Hundreds of police officers from across the country were deployed to the capital to help prevent further violence.

Five people were killed and hundreds injured across the country after being hit accidentally by fireworks, German news agency dpa reported.

Explosions of very strong, illegal fireworks in Berlin also caused extensive damage in two Berlin neighborhoods and injured numerous people, some of them seriously. According to the city’s fire department, powerful detonations severely damaged numerous house facades and broke many windows.

Thirty-six apartments are currently uninhabitable, dpa reported.

“The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

“However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary.”

She wished all injured officers a speedy recovery and vowed that all perpetrators will be “prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity.”