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Firefighter from Berlin
“Well, gentlemen, let's stop shooting for a moment. Are we clear?"
Berlin on New Year's Eve.
A fire service vehicle is fired at with rockets - the firefighters have to retreat.
Firefighter from Berlin
"So, we're going backwards."
Scenes like these from the capital still cause discussions today – who is responsible for the firecracker chaos?
Far away from Berlin's dark alleys, Markus Söder poses in front of a bright white Alpine panorama.
For Bavaria's prime minister, the debate about the Berlin night of chaos is THE opportunity to unleash a whole avalanche of blame:
Markus Söder, Prime Minister of Bavaria
»Oh, it's typical Berlin again. Things like that happen all the time in Berlin, including at the events on May 1st. Berlin just isn't really safe. It is partly very similar in Hamburg. I don't think anything like that would have happened in other cities, for example in Bavaria. Why? The police just don't have enough backing in Berlin. Politicians are not behind the police. In Berlin there is not enough money for the police, not enough support.
How can you have respect for a city that can't even organize its own elections?
Then it is no wonder that it cannot guarantee the safety of the citizens either.«
It is not known how the hearty, cynical comment from the Free State of Bavaria was received by those responsible in Berlin.
Berlin's governing mayor Franziska Giffey - currently in the middle of the election campaign - announced a summit on youth violence on Wednesday.
It is not yet clear when and with whom it will take place.
In addition, according to Giffey, the perpetrators should be punished as quickly as possible.
And already on Monday it was said.
Franziska Giffey, Governing Mayor of Berlin
»I believe that it will be crucial not just to demand blanket bans now, but to consider: What can be implemented, what is practicable? What do the emergency services, police and fire brigade find right and useful? And that has to be done. That is why the dialogue with the emergency services is now the most important thing.«
The long-term consequences of the chaos night are not yet foreseeable.
One thing is certain: in Berlin alone there were 33 injured emergency services.
According to the police, 145 people were arrested for the time being, but released again after the police measures had been completed.
Firefighter from Berlin
"You're great guys... come on, drive backwards"
