Only eleven dead.
Pyrotechnics, fire, and violence: Eleven people die on New Year’s Eve – Fires, fireworks, traffic accidents, and violence claimed the lives of at least eleven people in Germany on New Year’s Eve. The sad toll of the turn of the year.
That means more than half don’t.
Let the Knaller (bangers) knallen (bang)!
Almost half of all Germans want a ban on fireworks – In Germany, it is only permitted to sell fireworks in the three days leading up to New Year’s Eve. Some line up early to buy them, but others have safety concerns and want to see them banned altogether.
Happy New Year!
I don’t know if I can buy that one.
Palestinian influencer arrested after firework rocket hits Berlin apartment – “I didn’t know how a rocket works and how far it would fly. I didn’t want to hurt anyone on purpose,” Atallah Younes said.
Or maybe they should call it ring of fire in the New Year.
Are we having cultural enrichment yet?
German and Dutch authorities fear repeat of NYE firework violence – Fireworks are traditionally used to ring in the new year in Germany and the Netherlands, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day the only times they can be set off without permission.
But in recent years, celebrations have come under increased scrutiny.
Last year, dozens of police and firefighters were injured during riots in Berlin. Authorities said some were deliberately targeted with fireworks.
Other cities including Hamburg, Bonn, Dortmund and Essen, also saw violence.
They had not choice. Firework sales have been prohibited in Germany.
Thanks a million, COVID.
Germans flock to Poland to buy fireworks in defiance of ban – Firework sales prohibited in Germany for second year in a row owing to Covid, resulting in growing stockpile.
Have a Happy New Year!
In Germany they do. Even if you shoot them off from your balcony, in your backyard or in front or your own front door, apparently.
That’s why they must be verboten this year. I mean next year. I mean, you know what I mean. Everything that is not expressly allowed must be verboten here. It’s the law or something. Of course the companies that make 90 percent of their annual sales on New Year feel that this planned ban might have a slight financial impact on their revenue, but still.
Planned ban on New Year fireworks ignites anger in Germany – Authorities set to prohibit big public displays that are traditional part of festivities.
“Wir finden, dass privates Feuerwerk vor der eigenen Haustür Corona-konformer gar nicht sein kann.”
Yawn. Another World War II bomb evacuation again.
Germany: Thousands evacuated in Berlin as World War II bomb is defused – A quarter-ton World War II bomb was discovered in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes as police set up a radius around the unexploded ordinance.
The ones they actually detonate are pretty rare – and way more fun.
German oddity 15: Germany is a place where huge underground bombs are routinely unearthed all around the country and this barely even makes second page news. In fact, most Germans directly affected are more annoyed about it than anything else. They grudgingly leave their homes until the bomb crews have disarmed or detonated the damned things. Over 5,000 bombs are found in Germany every year.
Then they introduce a speed limit on your autobahn. “Whatever is not expressly permitted is strictly forbidden” in Germany.
Could Germany ban personal fireworks? – Across the world, fireworks are an essential part of New Year’s Eve celebrations. Germans especially love setting off their own pyrotechnics, but some places have now imposed limited bans — for good reason…
Germany’s laissez-faire approach to pyrotechnics, however, has serious consequences. Fireworks harm the environment, and exploding pyrotechnics can startle and shock animals as well as little children…
Alles was nicht ausdrücklich erlaubt ist, ist verboten.
Happy New Year already.
Police in Leipzig found two fingers somebody had blown off last night that nobody had claimed yet so they called Sherlock Holmes for help, I assume. He must have suggested that they call the emergency medical service number because when they did they were able to locate a patient matching the description perfectly. Missing two fingers, that is.
Somebody in Duisburg blew off three fingers. I haven’t got the missing finger count here in Berlin yet but there were fourteen serious incidents so I’m betting on a least a dozen. The main thing is that everybody has a good time, I say.
Alkohol und Schwarzpulver – eine fatale Mischung für einen Mann, der am Hauptbahnhof gefeiert hatte.
Germans typically turn their country into a war zone on New Year’s Eve, blowing the begeezus out of every small to medium-large object they can get their fingers on (fingers included) with big honking fireworks for hours and hours and hours on end. It’s just what they do.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon how you look at it), they are not “alone” this year and some communities are now banning setting off these fireworks near or on the grounds of the many refugee centers located in Germany now “out of concern about the psychological effects on refugees,” a lot of whom having come here from real war zones. As far as bad ideas from local government go, maybe this one isn’t that bad at all.
In der Ersten Verordnung zum Sprengstoffgesetz heißt es: “Das Abbrennen pyrotechnischer Gegenstände in unmittelbarer Nähe von Kirchen, Krankenhäusern, Kinder- und Altersheimen sowie Reet- und Fachwerkhäusern ist verboten.” Kommunen können darüber hinaus weitere Verbotsbereiche bestimmen.
Observing Hermann 