Young migrants attacked emergency services across European cities during New Year’s Eve celebrations.. Car burning and fire works .Firecrackers, fire extinguishers, stones, iron bars, and other projectiles were used against police officers, firefighters, and paramedics..Hundreds of rioters attacked the Berlin police, injuring at least 18 officers. One officer was sent to the hospital with serious injuries..The German newspaper Bild reported that most of the violence in Berlin was in migrant “hot spot” areas..The Berlin Fire Brigade went to 1,700 separate incidents, up by over 700 from the previous New Year’s Eve..The rioters also set fire to a bus in the city of Neukolln. When firefighters arrived, they were attacked with flare guns and fireworks..One video shows rioters throwing bricks through the back door of an ambulance and firing bullets into police cars..A firefighter spokesperson tried to speak with the media, but was interrupted by a masked rioter shooting a gun into the air..One young man waved an Albanian flag while firing a flare gun at the Berlin police.. Berlin Fire .In the North Rhine-Westfalia area, more than 250 rioters were arrested..Migrant youths have attacked German police since 2015, but this year’s attacks “cannot be compared in intensity with previous years,” according to the Berlin police..On Tuesday evening, the Berlin police released a report of the New Year’s Eve attacks on emergency services..The Berlin Police report said the “vast majority” of the 145 arrested were migrants, and only 45 arrested had German citizenship..Among those charged included 27 suspects from Afghanistan and 21 from Syria. The majority were men..In Hamburg, police arrested more than 20 suspects in migrant neighbourhoods during the rioting. .In France, nearly 500 rioters were arrested and 690 cars burned across the country..French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin issued a statement that New Year’s Eve celebrations were “without any major incidents” and a “relatively quiet night” as “only” 690 cars burned, which is down from 874 last year..Officials across many European cities reported the youth involved “apparently come largely from migrant backgrounds.”. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin .German Police Union (GPU) President Rainer Wendt told Focus that “groups of young men with a migration background are far overrepresented in these riots.”.Left-wing German senator Andy Grote told NDR that “the issue of migration background also plays a role here.”.Grote said attacking emergency services is the “meanest thing” imaginable. .“That’s about the meanest thing you can ever imagine, attacking those who want to help others,” said Grote. .German commentator Frank Schneider wrote an opinion story for Bild that said politicians are afraid to acknowledge the link between violent events and migration for fear of being called racist..“Politicians prefer to call for a general ban on firecrackers than to clearly name the perpetrators. No outcry from the upright in defence of the rule of law. People are afraid of being considered racist,” said Schneider..“Citizens are noticing that more and more is slipping. In times of growing economic problems, it is extremely dangerous if there is also the feeling that certain problems are deliberately concealed. Or played down.”
