As of: February 9, 2024, 5:51 p.m
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Empty alcopops and beer bottles stand on a telephone distribution box on the side of the road.
© Thomas Banneyer/dpa
In the carnival strongholds of Cologne and Düsseldorf, things remained mostly quiet on Weiberfastnacht and at night.
There were fewer revelers on the streets than usual because of the weather.
Cologne/Düsseldorf - According to police, the carnival celebrations on Weiberfastnacht in the North Rhine-Westphalian strongholds of Cologne and Düsseldorf were largely peaceful.
“Carnival was quiet,” said a spokesman for the Düsseldorf police, summing up the operation on Friday.
A Cologne police spokesman also said: “We have not had any major operations.
Smaller skirmishes that also occur at the weekend, but overall very calm.” One reason for this was definitely the rain.
“The weather was bad, many people celebrated indoors.”
There was an accident involving a carnival float at Cologne Central Station on Thursday afternoon.
A car suddenly drove between two floats, the police said.
Due to the emergency braking that became necessary, four carnival participants fell on the back of one of the cars and sustained injuries.
Ambulances took three of them to the hospital.
The driver continued driving without stopping.
There was also an argument between several revelers at the Cologne Rings on Thursday afternoon, in which, according to police, a 25-year-old fell to the ground and was then seriously injured by two men who kicked him in the head.
A 20-year-old suspect was later arrested as part of the search.
In total, the Cologne police registered around 90 physical injuries by early Friday morning.
The officers took 44 people into temporary custody and issued 110 expulsions - only half as many as the previous year.
Three police officers were slightly injured during acts of resistance.
In Düsseldorf there were 18 detentions and 93 expulsions, which were fewer than last time.
According to police, the number of assault crimes rose slightly to 23.
In Heinsberg, a security employee was injured in an altercation on the sidelines of a carnival event.
As the police announced on Friday, the 43-year-old had initially refused two men access to a festival tent late on the evening of Women's Carnival.
The two then started an argument with other guests on the forecourt.
When the 43-year-old intervened, he was knocked down by four men.
One of them kicked the man lying on the ground in the face.
The 43-year-old was taken to hospital, but according to the police - contrary to what was previously assumed - his life was not in danger based on the latest information.
The attacker who allegedly kicked the victim in the face - an 18-year-old - was identified based on information from witnesses and arrested shortly afterwards.
The others involved were still at large.
dpa