Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Berlin May Day Deemed Largely Peaceful as Police Report 87 Detentions and 121 Cases

City leaders hail de-escalation, a view the police union disputes.

Overview

  • Police, following Friday's May Day events, said more than 70,000 people took part across Berlin with 5,300 officers on duty.
  • A masked 'black block' in Kreuzberg clashed near Südstern late Friday, with bottles and pyrotechnics thrown and 18 people detained at the evening march.
  • Across the day, 15 officers were injured and the police union said that outcome means the holiday cannot be called peaceful.
  • Emergency crews handled 1,657 rescue runs and the city sanitation service cleared about 350 cubic meters of trash as district teams moved to repair damage in Görlitzer Park.
  • Eyewitnesses described dangerous crowding on Oranienstraße and at the Linke concert on Mariannenplatz, though police and firefighters reported no safety-critical failures and organizers said they will review access to the venue.