At the start of the weekend, thousands of partly wild parties celebrated in five Berlin parks.
The police had to intervene.
Not only the hygiene requirements were a problem.
Berlin - Thousands of people celebrating, flying bottles and irritant gas: In several Berlin city parks there was a riot on Saturday night (June 12th).
The police had to break up large parties.
However, the clashes in the parks had nothing to do with the European Championship soccer match between Italy and Turkey, according to a police spokeswoman.
Riot in Berlin parks: Around 2000 people celebrate in Berlin parks - police have to intervene
One of the party locations was the Mauerpark on the border of the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg. According to the information, around 1500 people celebrated there. After complaints from residents about the noise in the densely populated area, police came and tried to calm the situation down. The officers were also attacked and bottles were thrown at them. Two police officers were slightly injured, the police said. Criminal investigations have now been initiated against the perpetrators for serious breaches of the peace, dangerous bodily harm and physical assault.
Not the only party location at the beginning of the weekend.
According to the police, around 2,000 people celebrated in James-Simon-Park and the neighboring Monbijoupark around 11:30 p.m.
There was a dense crowd.
A visitor is said to have sprayed irritant gas into the celebrating crowd.
No one was injured in the evacuation of the parks.
Rioting in Berlin parks: attacks against the police - operations become a challenge
Despite the falling incidences and slowly easing measures against the coronavirus, strict contact restrictions still apply. Therefore, the police also had to vacate Hasenheide Park in Neukölln. The celebrants stayed there in large groups and disregarded hygiene regulations. The fourth and last mission took place around 11 p.m. in the Pankow public park. Around 200 celebratory people had gathered there. Here, too, there were violent riots during the eviction. Investigations have been initiated.
Such operations on mild summer nights are currently a challenge for the police, said a spokeswoman. The trigger here was always too loud music that residents reported. But also because of the violations of the hygiene requirements in the pandemic, the police have to repeatedly clear the green areas. In addition, some partiers would be less willing to leave the parks after drinking alcohol than others. Munich is also struggling with it.
(chd with dpa)
