After the New Year's Eve riots in Berlin, Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) announced numerous measures on Wednesday to curb violence by young people in the future. An additional 90 million euros are to be spent on this, for example for a state programme for youth social work at hotspot schools, family counselling centres, violence prevention services and improved career prospects.
Markus Wehner
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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A corresponding decision is to be taken in March by the Senate, said Giffey. The aim is to expand and strengthen existing structures. Around 20 million euros are to be spent this year, 70 million in 2024. Almost 25 million are to be spent on parent work and social work at schools in deprived areas, 22 million on youth social work and 41 million on leisure and sports facilities and family centres in the districts.
Seven additional prosecutors are also to be hired in the youth departments of the Berlin public prosecutor's office to deal with youth group violence and so-called intensive and threshold offenders. During the New Year's Eve riots, numerous young people, mainly with a migration background, had attacked police officers, firefighters and rescue workers head-on in several districts, sometimes luring them into ambushes. A total of 145 mostly young men were arrested.
The program now discussed also includes workshops with the fire and rescue services to convey "more respect for the emergency services," according to the summit's working paper. Giffey announced another date in October, at which a first interim balance will be drawn and "the next turn of the year will already be taken into account".