Violence erupted in several cities of Europe during New Year celebrations.

The onset of the New Year was marked by incidents of violence and arson in different parts of Europe, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Major cities in Europe, such as Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam, witnessed heavy police deployment ahead of the New Year celebrations to prevent any law and order situations. However, despite the police precautions, unrest was seen in parts of Europe.

Germany

Two teenagers died in Bielefeld, Germany, while handling homemade explosives that accidentally exploded. Several other people sustained serious injuries across the country in different incidents. In Berlin, the police reported 400 arrests till the early hours of the first day of the year. At least 24 police personnel and several emergency responders were reportedly injured in firecracker attacks in several German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Munich.

A ban on fireworks was imposed by the authorities in several parts of Berlin following the incidents of firework attacks and accidents.

Netherlands

The Northwestern European country witnessed violence of unprecedented scale during the New Year celebrations. A 19th-century church in the capital city of Amsterdam was engulfed by a massive fire on New Year’s Day. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained by the authorities.

The Vondelkerk church, built in 1872, was a major tourist attraction. In a different incident, a 17-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man were killed by fireworks.

Nine Kooiman, the head of the Dutch Police Union,  said that she was attacked by fireworks and other explosives during her shift in Amsterdam. Several such attacks on police personnel were reported across the country. In the southern city of Breda, petrol bombs were thrown at police. In Rotterdam, an eye hospital reported that it treated 14 patients, including 10 minors, for eye injuries.

France

The New Year in France has a chaotic beginning with numerous incidents of fatal accidents, violence, and arson being reported from across the country. According to investigative journalist Amy Mek, the ‘annual infidel car-burning festival‘, which has been occurring recurrently across the country, outdid itself this New Year’s Eve.”At least 1,173 vehicles torched across France – smashing last year’s 984! 505 arrests and 403 in custody (up from 420 arrests and 310 last year). They really went all out this time. Record-breaking “celebrations” from the religion of peace and tolerance. This isn’t random. It’s a ritual of destruction fueled by unchecked mass migration and Islamization,” Mek wrote on X. The repeated incidents of car burning in France over the years have taken the shape of an annual event.

Several incidents of people getting injured in firework accidents were reported from across the country. Some of the victims suffered from serious injuries, including severed fingers and hands, or facial wounds. In Nice, some police personnel were attacked by a group of hooligans, who targeted them with firework mortars. Twelve people were arrested and taken into custody. Thirteen Molotov cocktails (an improvised, hand-thrown incendiary weapon designed to start a fire) were seized by the police in Bordeaux.

The law enforcement had banned the use of fireworks for New Year’s Eve. The police had confiscated nearly 100,000 mortars by 5 p.m. on 31st December.

The capital city of Paris was rocked by massive riots on New Year’s Eve as a large number of protestors flocked to the streets. Police had to use tear gas to disperse the protestors. The protests were reportedly linked to celebrations following Algeria’s victory over Equatorial Guinea in Group E of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Belgium

Incidents of security personnel being attacked with fireworks also took place in various parts of Belgium during New Year celebrations. There were also reports of many vehicles being vandalised. Molotov cocktails and explosive devices were discovered by the police in multiple locations. Around 63 administrative arrests were reportedly made in the Brussels region. In Antwerp, the police arrested 104 people in connection with firework incidents and intentional fires.

Italy

Similar incidents of violence were reported in Turin, Italy, where a street parade organised by a left-wing group on New Year’s Eve turned violent. Some participants in the parade reportedly clashed with the security personnel when the latter stopped them from entering a prohibited area. The protestors attacked the cops with bottles and fireworks. The police pushed back the protestors using water cannons and tear gas.

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