Violence escalated in the German capital on New Year’s Eve. Hundreds of perpetrators attack the police in Berlin. At least 18 officers were injured, one of them seriously. One of the officials is now commenting on the attacks.
The police officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells “Bild”: “This New Year’s Eve was a sad highlight: I felt like they really wanted to hurt us or even kill us.”
‘Aimed, shot from all sides’
According to the Berlin police, the attacks on the emergency services “are not comparable in intensity to previous years”. In Berlin alone, more than 100 suspects were arrested in the violent outbursts.
The official, who spoke to the newspaper, speaks of chaos scenes and mass attacks. “Fireworks were aimed at us from all sides. Numerous firecrackers, bottles and other objects, including iron bars, flew. It was really bad.”
The situation also escalated in other German cities. But especially in Berlin-Neukölln there were attacks on officials.
103 men arrested
Police union chairman Rainer Wendt (66) says that very often heavily intoxicated or drunk young men play a dominant role. “Part of the job is the honest answer to questions like: Where do the chaotic people come from? Where do you live? Where does this anger and contempt for emergency services and police come from?” he told Focus.
The German police union has the impression that “groups of young men with a migration background are strongly over-represented in these riots,” says Wendt.
There is still no official evaluation of the origin of the alleged perpetrators on New Year’s Eve. Most of those arrested are men, five of the 103 people are women. (EU)