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NEW YEAR'S EVE

Do Germans want a complete ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks?

According to a YouGov survey published Tuesday, the majority of people in Germany are against the personal use of firecrackers and rockets at the turn of the year.

Published: 8 November 2023 12:43 CET
Fireworks explode over Berlin's landmark the Brandenburg Gate
Fireworks explode over Berlin's Brandenburg Gate during a New Year's light and music show before midnight to welcome the year 2023, on December 31, 2022. Germany's police and fire brigade reported a large number of fireworks-related incidents and injuries. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

A third of Germans surveyed (34 percent) are firmly against fireworks of any sort, according to a survey conducted by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of DPA.

A further 19 percent said that they “rather dislike” firecrackers and rockets. According to the survey, only 14 percent are “completely in favour” of the the fireworks, which are available for private purchase and set off en masse every Silvester, especially in big cities like Berlin.

The use of fireworks – which are often set off on pedestrian walkways or thrown at incoming cars – are increasingly a thorn in the side of police officers.

A nationwide ban on setting off private fireworks combined with a ban on their sales has “actually been necessary for a long time”, said Stephan Weh, head of the Berlin police union (GdP). 

READ ALSO: Berlin police call for ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks

Last Silvester, young men went on a rampage with firecrackers and rockets in several Berlin neighbourhoods. 

They also threw and shot firecrackers at police officers and firefighters. 

Similar scenes also took place in other major cities, leading to many severe injuries and hospitalisations.

READ ALSO: Germany’s NYE celebrations marred by death, injuries and attacks

Which groups are more against fireworks?

The rejection of fireworks on Silvester is strongest in the over 55 age group: 46 percent of older people do not like firecrackers and rockets at all. 

The representative survey also revealed that men favoured firecrackers more than women in all age groups.

Exactly half of those surveyed (50 percent) are against firecrackers and fireworks in private hands. 

A quarter (24 percent) are in favour of a complete ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks in Germany. A further 26 percent believe that there should only be organised fireworks.

A further 31 percent are in favour of a ban on private fireworks displays in areas such as old town centres – as is currently the case in a number of German cities – while 14 percent think that firecrackers and fireworks should be allowed everywhere in the country on New Year’s Eve without exceptions.

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NEW YEAR'S EVE

Three die in New Year’s Eve fireworks incidents in Germany

New Year's Eve is full of promise for many, but for some the party ended in hospital and three people died after trying to light firecrackers and a banned firework.

Published: 1 January 2024 17:56 CET
Three die in New Year's Eve fireworks incidents in Germany

In Bavaria, an 18-year-old man was killed when a firecracker he’d been handling exploded, causing fatal head injuries; in Koblenz another 18-year-old died when lighting a firecracker; and a 22-year-old in Boxberg, Saxony died while lighting an illegal ‘ball bomb’ (Kugelbombe), police reported.

“[Kugelbombe] are large, round fireworks that are shot into the air using a launcher and produce the effect of multiple normal New Year’s Eve rockets,” police spokesman Michael Guenzel told Bild newspaper.

Emergency services had been worried that this New Year’s Eve would see a repeat of the violence against police and firefighters from the turn of the year in 2022/2023.

To address this, police placed a strong focus on Berlin, ramping up their presence in the city with thousands of officers on duty, and instituting the concept of no-firecracker zones and pre-defined hotspot areas.

And the latest police figures show that this worked.

Some 390 people were arrested in Berlin – many because of violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act, 54 officers were injured, including 30 by fireworks, a police spokesperson told news agency DPA.

Preliminary figures show that there were 720 investigations into incidents throughout the city between 6pm on New Year’s Eve and 6am on January 1st. 

But the traditional New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate was a peaceful celebration, with some 65,000 people enjoying the sold-out event, according to organisers.

Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) rated the police operation on New Year’s Eve a success: “Strong presence, consistent action and full support for our police help to keep such situations under control,” Wegner wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

And the police union (GdP) was pleased that “the trend towards more and more violence on New Year’s Eve” had been stopped.

According to an initial police assessment, around 100 officers were injured nationwide.

In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, 21 police officers were injured, far fewer than a year ago, when 43 officers were injured. 

Unfortunately, many party-goers ended up in A&E.

27 people were treated at the Berlin Unfallskrankenhaus alone for serious injuries, including to eyes, face and hands, caused by firecrackers, the team said on X.

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