Berlin police primed for 'tough action' on New Year's Eve

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Saturday said police would be deployed en masse to Berlin for New Year's Eve amid fears of a repeat of violence in the capital 12 months ago.

Faeser also promised that security services would monitor Islamist extremist groups with "utmost vigilance" amid fears that anger over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza could further fan the flames.

What did the interior minister promise?

"Our emergency services had experienced blind rage directed against them time and again," Faeser told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel. "The answer to this must be tough action by police, but also by judicial authorities."

The minister's comments came against a backdrop of New Year's Eve 2022 when there were attacks on police officers, firefighters and paramedics in some Berlin neighborhoods. In some cases, the assailants used firecrackers and other fireworks.

Faeser said her ministry would boost the number of federal police at train stations — seen as potential flashpoints  — to help the local Berlin police.

"We are strengthening our federal police forces at the train stations in Berlin with four operational units and other additional units. We will have around 500 federal police forces deployed there," she said.

"Apart from that, we are also supporting the Berlin police with another 300 federal police officers."

Meanwhile, Berlin Police Commissioner Barbara Slowik has promised that some 2,000 to 2,500 officers would be deployed in the city on New Year's Eve, with extra support from the states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. 

"Many millions of people in our country are looking forward to a peaceful and happy turn of the year," said Faeser. "After a year that has taken a toll on many, no one wants to experience senseless violence on New Year's Eve."

Earlier this week, the head of a German police union blamed politicians for failing to prevent an expected repeat of last year. He also called for a ban on the sale of fireworks.

Fears over Middle East tensions

Faeser also addressed the additional threat posed as Israel pursues its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, saying authorities had taken extensive action against the radical Islamist scene in the past few weeks.

Faeser warned there was an increasing risk of radicalization in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, promising that security authorities were monitoring the Islamist scene with "extreme vigilance."

Recent weeks saw heightened security at Cologne cathedral after indications that an attack had been planned there for New Year's Eve.

rc/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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