On Tuesday evening, German police released more information about the violence and hooliganism that marked the end of the year in the German capital. According to the police, a total of 145 people, most of them men, were temporarily arrested in connection with the riots. Their nationalities were also reported for the first time.

A total of 18 different nationalities were registered. 45 suspects are citizens of Germany, 27 – citizens of Afghanistan, 21 – citizens of Syria, the rest – representatives of other nationalities. Initially, 159 detainees were reported.

According to a police spokesman, there were double counts. The numbers are still tentative. According to the police, a total of 355 criminal and administrative cases were opened due to the Berlin riots.

Chaos on the street, the suspects were released

It is not yet known how many of the 41 injured policemen were temporarily out of work. The spokesman said only that the policeman, who received serious burns, had been discharged from the hospital.

During the violent incidents, people were injured, cars and buses were set on fire, shop windows and bus stations were destroyed. Policemen and firefighters were pelted with firecrackers. Arrests were made throughout the city. Suspects are wanted mainly for arson, violation of the explosives law, violation of public order and peace, physical attacks on law enforcement officers and sexual crimes.

“After the completion of the police measures, all the suspects were released,” the Berliner Zeitung reported.

Integration policy to the report

To prevent similar attacks in the future, a round table with politicians and experts is urgently needed, as well as new approaches in integration policy, the German police union (GdP) demanded on Tuesday.

“We need this debate immediately, and we need results, clear concepts and a plan for who and what they should implement,” GdP federal chairman Jochen Kopelke said on Tuesday.

“The federal government must stick to the coalition agreement and adopt a new approach to integration policy at the federal level.” A night of shocking incidents like Sunday’s should not be repeated at the end of the year, Kopelke emphasized, “that’s why the time frame is set.”

NO GO zones with firecrackers

According to the police, the intensity of violence does not compare with the New Year’s Eve of previous years. “This level of violence and destruction is overwhelming and deeply shocking to me. It damages our city, creates fear and terror,” said Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffy. After the chaotic scenes and numerous injuries, Giffy is considering expanding firecracker-free zones.

“The riots in Berlin were extreme. However, Capital is no exception,” said Stefan Hussi, chairman of the executive committee of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV). Fire and rescue organizations have complained for years about an increase in verbal and physical violence during operations.

Hussey called for strong political action and said: “When discussing security concepts, there should be no restrictions on thinking, but the handling of firecrackers must also be checked.”

The eternal problem of integration

Sami Musa, the VDP MP for citizenship, also said, referring to Hamburg: “According to the security forces, many of the attackers are young people with a migrant background. It also came as a shock to the vast majority of well-integrated migrants from Hamburg. There are problems with integration in some parts of the city. The Senate should resolve this issue instead of thinking about banning firecrackers.”

The integration commissioner for Berlin’s Neukölln district, Güner Balci, told Deutschlandfunk that in large urban areas “with complex social problems” you can see “that we have children and young people growing up with domestic violence in everyday life. “. Although these young people are only a minority in these areas, “one is enough to terrorize a whole house.”