New Years celebrations in Europe > Riots, arson, hundreds of arrests in the Netherlands and Germany

 

New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands: riots, arson, and injuries across provinces

New Year’s Eve celebrations across the Netherlands turned chaotic as riots, arson, and injuries were reported in several provinces. The unrest included the burning of a police car in Veen, fireworks explosions causing severe injuries in Wognum, hospitalizations for firework-related injuries and children with alcohol poisoning nationwide, and widespread incidents of violence and property damage in cities like Rotterdam, The Hague, and Culemborg.

In the village of Veen, located in the province of North Brabant, the decades-old tradition of setting car wrecks ablaze escalated into violence. Near the notorious Witboomstraat-Van der Loostraat intersection, where hundreds gathered to witness the annual car burnings, a police vehicle was destroyed. Around 3 a.m., as officers stood roughly ten meters from their patrol car, two young men poured a flammable liquid into the vehicle and set it on fire, according to eyewitness accounts. The Mobile Unit (ME) intervened, using water cannons to disperse the crowd and secure the area, which was littered with the remains of eight burned-out vehicles.

The local government faces growing frustration over the situation's rising costs, with officials estimating the replacement of road infrastructure will again be necessary after this year’s damage. Despite the chaos, police have not confirmed any arrests.

Emergency departments across the Netherlands reported a surge in patients during the night, with many treated for firework injuries and alcohol poisoning. Yara Basta, president of the Dutch Association of Emergency Physicians, told NPO Radio 1, “The number of people visiting emergency rooms was one-and-a-half times higher than on a typical night.” She noted an alarming rise in alcohol poisoning cases among minors under 16, explaining, “Their bodies simply cannot process the amount they consumed.”

The Eye Hospital in The Hague treated 13 patients for firework-related injuries, while hospitals in Rotterdam and Groningen reported treating multiple victims, including a serious case of burns caused by fireworks in Groningen.

In the North Holland village of Wognum, two young men sustained serious injuries when a firework exploded in a field on Westeinderweg around 11 p.m. A spokesperson for the regional safety authority stated, “The nature of their injuries is not yet known.” The incident remains under investigation.

In Alphen aan den Rijn, one of the most significant incidents occurred shortly after midnight when a fire broke out in several construction trailers on Wederikstraat. Flames spread to at least seven parked cars before firefighters gained control around 1:45 a.m. Though no injuries were reported, residents were alarmed, and authorities assessed the structural safety of a nearby scaffolded apartment complex.

A separate blaze in Nootdorp heavily damaged a commercial building on Ambachtshof earlier in the evening. The fire primarily consumed the building’s roof and caused significant water damage to adjacent businesses. No injuries were reported, but the cause remains unclear.

Attacks on emergency responders

In Rotterdam’s Schiebroek neighborhood, police and emergency responders were attacked with stones and fireworks, prompting the arrest of several individuals. Similar unrest erupted in The Hague’s Transvaal district, where fireworks were thrown, causing property damage. The ME also deployed tear gas in Culemborg after repeated confrontations with rioters throwing heavy fireworks at first responders.

In Friesland’s villages of Sint Annaparochie and Marrum, officers were pelted with stones, and fires broke out in both locations. Four arrests were made in Marrum, where the ME restored order after securing the area.

Despite the chaos, New Year’s Eve marked record-high firework sales, with an estimated 118 million euros spent, breaking the previous record set in 2022. While fireworks brought colorful displays in many regions, they also caused significant harm. In The Hague alone, over 20 cars were destroyed in fires, including five vehicles parked together on Hasseltsestraat. Similar incidents occurred in Poeldijk, Leiden, Voorschoten, Gouda, and Reeuwijk, straining firefighting resources.

At The Hague’s Haaglanden Medical Center, emergency care staff treated 20 patients in just two hours, ten of whom suffered firework-related injuries. Frans de Voeght, a care manager at the hospital, remarked, “So far, the situation has been manageable,” crediting additional staff for mitigating patient aggression. “The first wave of patients includes firework victims; later, we expect cases involving violence and injuries from altercations,” he added.

Similarly, Rotterdam’s Maasstad Hospital reported a high volume of emergency room visits but did not admit any patients to its burn center as of 1:15 a.m. According to a spokesperson, the hospital’s hotline received numerous calls from general practitioners seeking advice on treating burns, with consultations facilitated through a secure photo-sharing app.

Efforts to mitigate harm saw mixed results. In The Hague’s Tarwekamp neighborhood, which was designated a firework-free zone following a deadly explosion in December, residents welcomed the relative quiet. One local said, “I still get startled by loud bangs,” expressing relief at the absence of fireworks in the area.

However, unrest in nearby regions highlighted ongoing challenges. The ME intervened in Naaldwijk, where rioters caused disturbances near an apartment complex, and in ’s-Gravenzande, where two individuals were injured in a stabbing incident at a residential address.

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Over 200 arrested on New Year’s “full of destruction and violence,” says police chief

A chaotic and violent New Year’s Eve across the Netherlands led to the arrest of more than 200 people, as rioting, attacks on police officers, arson, and fireworks-related accidents marred the evening. Police officials described the night as “full of destruction and violence,” with significant incidents occurring in cities across the country.

Police Chief Janny Knol condemned the events, noting that what should have been a celebratory evening “turned into a night full of destruction and violence” in many locations. She emphasized that police officers and emergency responders were specifically targeted by rioters, calling it “unacceptable” that their efforts to ensure public safety were met with aggression.

There were reports of injuries related to fireworks, including the tragic death of a 14-year-old boy in Rotterdam from an explosion. Several other individuals across the country suffered severe injuries from fireworks.

In addition to the violence surrounding fireworks, police dealt with numerous assaults. In Woerden, a 49-year-old man was severely injured in a violent incident just after 3:30 a.m. A 27-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the attack. In Amersfoort, a 51-year-old man was stabbed, and a 39-year-old suspect was taken into custody. Investigations are underway into both incidents.

 Police in several regions were involved in violent confrontations, with some officers being targeted with fireworks and other forms of aggression. In Amsterdam, officers fired warning shots after they were attacked in the central square.

Happy New Year Netherlands

Hundreds arrested in Germany after New Year’s fireworks turn violent

The German government on Wednesday condemned a series of incidents on New Year’s Eve in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured, mostly with fireworks.

Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year by setting off large numbers of fireworks in public places. But the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency officials.

In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured in confrontations or attacks during New Year’s Eve, leading to 400 arrests, city officials said. Hundreds of police officers from across the country were deployed to the capital to help prevent further violence.

Five people were killed and hundreds injured across the country after being hit accidentally by fireworks, German news agency dpa reported.

Explosions of very strong, illegal fireworks in Berlin also caused extensive damage in two Berlin neighborhoods and injured numerous people, some of them seriously. According to the city’s fire department, powerful detonations severely damaged numerous house facades and broke many windows.

Thirty-six apartments are currently uninhabitable, dpa reported.

“The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

“However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary.”

She wished all injured officers a speedy recovery and vowed that all perpetrators will be “prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity.”

What is absolutely necessary is the outlawing of all fireworks in Europe, and the arrests of anyone breaking that law.

What would be nice is if you indicated the background of all those who were arrested.

Happy New Year, Germany

Bits and Bites From Around the World > Zuckerberg Colonizing Hawaii; New Years: Car-Burning Celebration in France; Riots in Germany; In NYC, Something Very Different

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Zuckerberg continues to ‘colonize’ Hawaii

The Facebook founder expands his not-so-virtual empire with his latest land purchase

FILE PHOTO: Hanalei Beach, Kauai, Hawaii, US, August 22, 2018. © REUTERS/Sue Horton

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has bought another 110 acres of land on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, assuming ownership of territory that includes a reservoir and a pristine forest, despite protests from locals.

The social media tycoon and his wife now own 1,400 acres of land on the island, much of it protected agricultural and conservation land. The latest addition to their $100 million Ko’olau Ranch includes the Ka Loko reservoir, where a dam collapsed in 2006 after 40 days of rain, killing seven people, local media reported this week. The disaster was blamed on the previous owners, from whom the Zuckerbergs bought the property in November for $17 million.

The billionaire has previously faced accusations of trying to “colonize” Kauai. The couple’s actions on purchasing their first mansion on the island in 2014 were hardly neighborly, with the billionaire opting to build a wall around the 707-acre property to block locals from accessing Pila’a Beach, which had been a spot loved by locals and travelers alike. Zuckerberg was subsequently accused of attempting to force tenant farmers from their land – a quest he finally gave up three years later, apologizing in the local paper for his attempted takeover. 

The Zuckerbergs also own most of Kahu’aina Plantation and Larsen’s Beach, having acquired an additional 600 acres in April for $53 million. The security team assigned to protect the pair and their investments costs more than half as much, running to $23 million, according to local media.

That team is probably worth the money, given how many signatures have been accrued on a Change.org petition asking the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to “Stop Mark Zuckerberg from colonizing Kauai.” Over a million people have signed the petition at the time of writing.

The Zuckerbergs are far from the only tech billionaires expanding their footprints across Hawaii’s tropical paradise islands. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought a $78 million estate on Maui in November after leaving his wife, staking claim to a marine fishing reserve with his partner Lauren Sanchez. 

His presence can’t be sitting too well with the locals, as even they are not permitted to fish or conduct commercial activity in the area. He also recently snapped up a huge piece of property for his parents on the island. Meanwhile, Oracle’s Larry Ellison owns almost the entire island of Lanai.

**Happy New Year**

In France, instead of fireworks they celebrate by burning cars

Hundreds of vehicles torched on New Year’s Eve

France’s interior minister praised the ‘decrease in violence’ despite

damage to hundreds of cars

FILE PHOTO. ©  Global Look Press / Keystone Press Agency / Sadak Souici

A total of 847 cars were set ablaze in France in the early hours of the first day of the new year, the Interior Ministry said, with hundreds of people detained over the destruction.

The mass burning of parked vehicles has become an infamous and much lamented ‘tradition’ in France, where hundreds of vehicles are torched almost every New Year’s Eve. 

This year, however, fewer cars were damaged than before, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who attributed the decrease to a bigger police presence and speedy action by relevant public services.

Darmanin thanked police and civil security personnel on Twitter for the “decrease in violence.” Despite the efforts of security officials, hundreds of cars were still set ablaze – but Darmanin noted the number was smaller than in 2019, when more than 1,300 vehicles were torched.

Some 95,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed to the streets of the French cities on Saturday night to maintain law and order, as well as enforce the government’s Covid-19 restrictions that put a cap on participants at gatherings. Around 32,000 firefighters and civil security officials also aided in dealing with the nighttime incidents.

In the French city of Strasbourg alone, 87 cars were set on fire, around 30 people were arrested and four police officers were injured, according to the French media. The city saw the rioters mounting particularly fierce resistance and clashing with law enforcement, including by pelting the officers with firecrackers.

The total number of detentions and arrests was also slightly higher than in 2019, with 441 people arrested throughout France.

The practice of car-torching became popular among youths in poor French neighborhoods in the 1990s and it became particularly widespread on New Year’s Eve. It also reached an unprecedented scale during three weeks of riots that engulfed the suburbs of the French capital, Paris, and other cities back in 2005. At that time, 8,810 vehicles were burned.

Chaos spreads from France into Germany on New Years Eve

City descends into violence & chaos on New Year’s Eve

Police in Germany are tallying damage and searching for suspects

following celebrations that spiraled into riots

©  Global Look Press / Sebastian Willnow

The German city of Leipzig saw its streets turn into an arena for intense clashes between police and rioters on New Year’s Eve as hundreds gathered in the city’s east.

Soon after the clock struck midnight, the Leipzig police began receiving the first reports about violence and property damage. Officers had to respond to almost 170 calls in Leipzig and its surrounding areas in just over two hours on Saturday (Friday???) night, police said in a statement. They called it a “sharp increase” in comparison to an “ordinary Friday night.”

A crowd comprising “hundreds” of people gathered at Eisenbahnstrasse Street in the city’s east, with the area quickly becoming an arena for clashes between rioting revelers and law enforcement. Police vehicles were pelted with various objects, including firecrackers. The rioters also set up barricades from shopping carts and set them on fire. 

Photos from the scene showed officers in riot gear moving through thick smoke coming from the burning barricades. The Eisenbahnstrasse has previously gained notoriety due to local crime rates and the drug trade. It was even dubbed Germany’s “worst street.” 

So, it sounds like this is the domain of Muslim migrant street gangs. But, European media would never make that distinction.

Police said several of their vehicles were damaged but that the clashes resulted in no injuries and were under control at around 2am local time. It is still unclear who initiated the violence and what motivated the rioters.

It is not the first time Leipzig has seen clashes on New Year’s Eve. The city has for some time been known as a center of left-wing violence. Last year, unknown assailants set vehicles belonging to the German Army – the Bundeswehr – on fire. Two years ago, the city saw riots in the Connewitz district – an area which saw a massive police deployment this year and remained largely peaceful on Saturday night.

Leipzig was not the only German city that witnessed clashes between rioters and police on New Year’s Eve, as similar incidents were reported in Stuttgart and Dresden but they were smaller in scale. 

And in America, CNN hosts celebrate New Years

by getting drunk on live TV

Anderson Cooper tries to stop colleague’s drunken rant

against NY Democrat mayor

Andy Cohen refused to stop talking despite his uncomfortable co-host’s attempts

to end the conversation

Fireworks are set off at midnight during the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration © AP / Ben Hider

CNN host Anderson Cooper awkwardly tried to shut down his co-host’s drunken rant about New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio during the network’s New Year’s Eve coverage.

After Cooper and fellow CNN New Year’s Eve Live co-host Andy Cohen downed shots – presumably with tequila – on live television, Cohen unloaded on the Democratic mayor as Cooper repeatedly tried to get him to stop.

“Let me tell you something. Watching Mayor de Blasio doing his victory lap dance after four years of the crappiest term as the mayor of New York… The only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been,” Cohen shouted with slurred words, as Cooper begged, “Don’t go on a rant. Don’t, don’t, don’t… Is that how you want to start the new year?”

Cooper became increasingly uncomfortable as Cohen refused to cease the rant, grabbing his co-host by the coat as Cohen celebrated the fact that he wouldn’t have to watch the outgoing mayor celebrate “as the city comes apart” next New Year’s Eve.

Actually, he didn't look all that uncomfortable to me at any time in the sequence. He looks too drunk to be uncomfortable. Have you ever seen a live program where the hosts are drunk? A national program? Take a look for yourself.

After serving two terms as mayor of New York City, de Blasio was succeeded by fellow Democrat Eric Adams on January 1. De Blasio has been described as one of the worst mayors in the city’s history for overseeing a significant rise in crime and disorder in the city after taking over from the previous mayor, Mike Bloomberg.

More Than a Dozen Killed at Nigeria Church After New Year's Service

War on Christianity - Nigeria

Islam's first massacre of the year came just 20 minutes after midnight, New Years

By Susan McFarland

UPI -- At least 14 people were killed Monday by gunmen in southern Nigeria after a New Year's Day church service, police said.

Gunmen attacked two different locations at the church, in a coordinated effort targeting Christians returning from church around 12: 20 a.m., officials said.

Officials said shooters fired at random at the church, killing some at close range during the early morning ambush after a group attended midnight service in the region of Rivers state.

Fireworks during celebrations in Omuku made it difficult to hear the gunfire, witnesses said. More than 26 people were shot in the attack, about 50 miles from Port Harcourt.

The area has seen an increase in violent crime after a government amnesty program for former gang members was allowed to lapse. The program halted violence in the region, which had been inundated by militants who demanded that more of Nigeria's oil wealth be kept in oil-producing regions.

This massacre was probably not an economics statement, but rather an Islamic assault on Christianity. Dropping the amnesty program may have induced more criminals to be sympathetic to Islamic beliefs and intolerance, but this was certainly an anti-Christian assault.

And it is not surprising that it took Islam just 20 minutes into the new year to perpetrate its first massacre of 2018. Unfortunately, too few people will learn anything from this. Too few people know anything about Islamic history or even the current situation. The west will pay a heavy price for its deliberate ignorance and liberal lunacy.