Mostly peaceful New Years celebrations in Germany
All over Germany, people welcomed in the New Year, and while millions celebrated peacefully, there were some serious incidents on New Year's Eve.
In the western city of Koblenz, an 18-year-old died when a firework exploded.
Despite resuscitation attempts, the young man died as a result of the explosion. Investigations into the man's death are continuing. The police initially did not want to give any further details about the incident.
In Berlin, the police were called out to numerous incidents before midnight, with the emergency services looking forward to the New Year in a particularly tense mood.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner had announced before festivities that he would take tough action against rioters. "Tonight is the night, if necessary, the night of repression, when the rule of law will try to assert itself," said Wegner during a visit to a city police station.
On New Year's Eve a year ago, there were riots and attacks on police officers and emergency services throughout Germany, with Berlin being particularly affected.
Hours before midnight, there was an incident near Alexanderplatz in Berlin. According to the police, firecrackers were thrown from a group of around 500 people.
The police dispersed the group and checked for fireworks, the police announced on the online platform X.
"From a group of around 200 people who were at the Rathauspassagen, our officers were shot at with pyrotechnics," the police said, referring to a passageway in the open air shopping plaza.
In Berlin's Neukölln district, police caught people making Molotov cocktails out of petrol and glass bottles. A total of nine suspects were detained. Shortly before midnight, more than 100 people had been detained throughout the city for dangerous fireworks or other offences, a police spokeswoman said.
Tens of thousands celebrated the New Year at the traditional New Year's Eve party in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate for the first fireworks display since the coronavirus pandemic. Around 45,000 visitors attended public broadcaster ZDF's New Year's Eve party despite intermittent rain and high security measures.
The security forces there were particularly vigilant due to the suspected planned terrorist attack at Cologne Cathedral. The police chief said at a press conference on Sunday that the suspected planned attack was to be carried out with a car.
It had emerged that the suspect, who had already been taken into custody on Christmas Eve, was part of a larger network.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul said that the 1,000 or so police officers deployed around the cathedral on New Year's Eve were doing everything they could to ensure the safety of the revellers.
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki celebrated the well-attended New Year's Eve mass in the evening under heavy police protection. Police said it initially remained calm around the cathedral in the evening.
Tens of thousands also started the new year 2024 in Hamburg with fireworks and partying, with crowds of people watching the New Year's Eve fireworks display in the harbour. Around 8,000 visitors watched the show, according to police.
There were also peaceful celebrations in Frankfurt city centre according to the police. While firecrackers and some fireworks were fired into crowds, police officers took action against this, according to a police spokesman on Monday morning.
