Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - According to Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), the police in North Rhine-Westphalia will not turn a blind eye to rioters on the carnival days. "Our police officers are required to take consistent action against harassment and assault - including at carnival," Reul told the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger". The minister added: "Precisely because carnival is a celebration of joy, I urge the citizens to remain peaceful and to follow the rules. Everyone should know when they've had enough Kölsch."
Women's carnival is not just a highlight of the session for the people of Cologne, Reul explained: "And this time it's just as certain to be a special carnival, because the past three years have left their mark." War, inflation and money worries would burden many people. "I think it's all the more important that there are days when you can switch off for a few hours and put your worries aside," Reul told the "Stadt-Anzeiger".
The police in the carnival strongholds of Cologne and Düsseldorf want to have even more officers on duty than before the pandemic. The Düsseldorf police justified this this week by not knowing how many people want to celebrate after the forced break.
