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Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD)
Photo: IMAGO/Stefan Zeitz
As a result of the riots on New Year's Eve, Berlin's governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) wants to invite to a summit against youth violence.
She announced this in the morning on the rbb info radio.
The invitations should go out as soon as possible, confirmed a Senate spokeswoman for the dpa news agency.
It was not mentioned when the meeting would take place or who would attend.
Giffey said in the interview that the attacks on rescue workers, firefighters - "those who help and protect us" - are unacceptable, to be condemned and to be prosecuted consistently.
“But there is no easy answer.
A ban on firecrackers alone will not solve it.« She does not believe that a ban at the federal level will be enforceable for all firecrackers.
From their point of view, several components are necessary.
»We have this situation in many cities in Germany.
On the one hand, we have to take consistent action against criminal offenses, but on the other hand, we also have to look at what needs to be done in integration, youth and school social work.«
Giffey was asked that there was now a discussion about the family origins of the perpetrators and whether this was an integration deficit.
Does this great distance, perhaps also hostility, towards the representatives of the German state have something to do with the origin of the families?
Giffey blames social media for violence
Giffey replied that there was massive disrespect, massive destructiveness and sometimes contempt for state officials.
She spoke to the police forces in Neukölln and asked what the reason was and how it came about.
»And they told me that social media also play a major role.
That everyone is spurring on each other on Tiktok.« That this one night is the night that for some others is May 1st, where you can let off steam and show that you are the stronger one with the help of stun guns and firecrackers.
Giffey is currently being criticized by the Berlin opposition.
She is accused of the fact that the Senate administration was not prepared well enough for New Year's Eve and is now taking too little action.
So far, the politician had insisted on nationwide no-gun zones as a possible countermeasure.
According to criticism, however, this is an attempt to shift the discussion from Berlin to the entire federal territory.
col/dpa