Brobler ban rejected in Berlin: chaos and discussions about the New Year's Eve!

Brobler ban rejected in Berlin: chaos and discussions about the New Year's Eve!

Berlin, Deutschland - A general ban on firecrackers in Berlin was rejected by the House of Representatives on Thursday. The vote fell in favor of an application by the Greens, which focused on the security situation on New Year's Eve. The discussion about the events on New Year's Eve, which caused almost 400 injuries and damage to property in the millions, was a central point in the negotiations. In view of this devastating balance sheet, the Greens called for a ban on sales for pyrotechnics and nationwide firecrackers to protect humans, animals and the environment. But the majority of the CDU, SPD and AfD rejected the application, as BZ Berlin

In the current hour, the MPs also discussed a petition of the police union for a ban on firecrackers. Burkard Dregger (CDU) threw that the debate about the New Year's Eve occurrences was necessary to encourage people to think about their behavior. However, he showed that the main cause of the injuries and damage was already due to prohibited firecrackers. Similar views were expressed by Ronald glasses (AfD), who pointed out that mostly young people with a migration background were responsible for the riots. These statements met with contradiction, especially from Niklas Schrader (left), who classified the discussion as racist.

call for a ban on firecrackers

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) and the union of the police (GdP) handed over more than 1,961,000 signatures for a nationwide firing ban on January 6, 2025. This ban is intended to have a comprehensive regulation for the private use of pyrotechnics to ensure the safety of people and the protection of animals and the environment. Jürgen Resch, Federal Managing Director of the DUH, made it clear that the current firecracker not only causes immense damage, but also leaves numerous injuries with the most serious consequences. Suggestions for the control of import are not sufficient to solve the chaotic conditions at the celebrations.

Resch criticized politics, in particular the remarks by Chancellor Scholz, who abatters the demand for a ban on firecrackers as "somehow funny". In reality, the situation for the victims of fireworks accidents is anything but funny. He appealed to the Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to get an adjustment of the explosive regulation before the new election. The state chairman of the GdP Berlin, Stephan Weh, called the handover of the petition an important step, but referred to the need to concrete measures. The broad support of the petitions shows that the public is ready for a fundamental change in the regulation of pyrotechnics.

organized fireworks as an alternative?

The DUH pursues the goal of completely banishing private firecrackers and instead to allow uniquement organized fireworks through specialist staff, similar to international cities such as Sydney or London. The growing campaign alliance for a firecrackable New Year's Eve not only includes the DUH, but also 34 other organizations that campaign for this change. This initiative shows the increasing pressure on politics to finally react to the overwhelming number of supporters and to take measures that protect both human life and animals.