Following five deaths linked to homemade fireworks during the holiday celebration, close to 1.5 million Germans have joined the police to ban fireworks during New Year’s Eve.
The petition, launched in response to the chaos and destruction caused by fireworks on New Year’s Eve, gained significant traction on social media, with many Germans sharing their own experiences and calling for stricter regulations on fireworks sales and use.
Critics have long sought to end Germany’s raucous use of pyrotechnics to ring in the New Year, citing safety concerns but also air pollution and the traumatic effects on domestic pets.
In a petition submitted to the interior ministry on Monday, the police Berlin chapter, which collected over 1.4 million signatures, called for a ban, stating “so that we don’t have to talk about dozens of injuries again next year”.
It added that the annual debate surrounding fireworks should not be limited to a brief discussion before New Year’s Eve, but rather should lead to sustained momentum and meaningful action to address the associated concerns.
More than 100 police officers were reported injured nationwide, including about 30 in the capital Berlin, which is known for its especially intense use of rockets and firecrackers, sometimes aimed at law enforcement personnel.
Also, about 400 people were detained in Berlin alone on New Year’s Eve for offenses related to fireworks.
Meanwhile, in Berlin’s Schoeneberg district, the explosion of a pyrotechnic device damaged about 40 apartments, panicking residents and leaving the flats temporarily uninhabitable.
In a separate incident, a visiting Palestinian social media influencer was arrested at the airport on Jan 4 after a video circulating online allegedly showed him shooting a firework through a Berlin apartment window.
The co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel reposted the video on social media platform X, denouncing “migrant violence” in Germany.
“Hooligans and violent criminals who attack emergency services and endanger people’s health with highly dangerous explosives will only respond to a tough line,” she told the Bild daily, calling for up to five years’ jail for offenders.
However, the government is not considering a complete ban on fireworks in Germany.
A spokesman to the Interior Minister said the problems was limited to big cities and that there was “no majority in favor of a general ban” in the German Parliament.
