Dresden (dpa/sn) - The Saxon Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) has spoken out against a complete ban on the sale of firecrackers for the New Year's Eve fireworks. At the same time, he condemned attacks on emergency services and rescue vehicles on Monday. This shows disrespect for people "who embody our state," he told the German Press Agency. "That's why the suspects must be prosecuted quickly and effectively. The use of dashcams by the fire department should also be considered. But I don't believe in a general 'ban on firecrackers'." Most people would use New Year's fireworks responsibly.
"But what we need to keep a closer eye on is the spread of illegal explosives. Every year they cause devastating damage in Saxony - not to mention tragic accidents that unfortunately can also be fatal," emphasized the minister. In Saxony, a young person was killed by pyrotechnics. According to the interior minister, no officials were injured on New Year's Eve, but emergency vehicles were occasionally damaged.
Because of the sometimes violent attacks on emergency services on New Year's Eve in Berlin, a possible ban on the sale of firecrackers was again debated in the capital on Monday. Culture Senator Klaus Lederer spoke out in favor of a nationwide ban on Monday morning on RBB Inforadio. "That would have to be regulated by federal law," said the left-wing politician. The German fire brigade union called for emergency vehicles to be equipped with so-called dashcams - i.e. with small cameras with which attacks could be better documented.
