Paris

More than 800,000 people amassed on Paris’ Champs-Elysées Sunday night to celebrate the new year and admire a giant fireworks display.

Braving long lines on the streets leading to the Champs-Elysées, as police systematically searched everyone entering the security perimetre, locals and tourists enjoyed a festive new year’s eve with DJs and performers, and a massive fireworks display at midnight above the Arc de triomphe.

Some 90,000 police and 5,000 soldiers were on duty throughout the country, with 6,000 in the capital Sunday evening. Vehicles were banned within the security perimeters, and the sale of alcohol was prohibited. Police confiscated alcohol and any objects considered as potential weapons.

With regular police patrols along the length of the avenue there were few major incidents, with 211 people arrested throughout the evening.

Nearly 400 people were arrested across the country, and 745 vehicles were burnt - down ten percent compared to last year, according to the interior ministry.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20240101-nearly-a-million-people-on-paris-champs-elys%C3%A9es-to-ring-in-2024

Berlin

Authorities in Berlin said Monday that New Year’s Eve celebrations in the German capital were more peaceful compared to last year despite the temporary detention of 390 people and 54 police officers being injured.

Police said many were detained for violating the Weapons and Explosives Act, either using illegal firecrackers or firing them off at officers or other people

Some 4,500 officers patrolled the city at night to prevent a repeat of the 2022 New Year’s Eve riots. It was the strongest police presence Berlin witnessed in decades.

On Sunday night, police banned the use of traditional firecrackers across the city.

Both the city’s mayor and Germany’s interior minister had vowed a zero-tolerance strategy toward rioters, particularly any trying to attack officers.

https://apnews.com/article/berlin-new-years-eve-riots-police-3d7fd9cfe36b19ae8871a544dd700a93

Netherlands

Emergency services workers tackling incidents across the Netherlands were repeatedly assaulted during the New Year's Eve period, leaving dozens of police officers injured. Incidents reported in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and smaller cities involved police officers and fire fighters being pelted with powerful firecrackers.

Several dozen police officers were injured during New Year's Eve responses, the police said on the basis of provisional figures compiled on Monday morning. They were attacked with heavy and often illegal fireworks, and several officers suffered hearing damage.

The riot police had to intervene repeatedly. "In various places, people who wanted to celebrate were pelted with fireworks. Homes and cars were also targeted. When they intervened, many police officers and other emergency workers had to contend with aggression and violence."

The police estimated that at least two hundred arrests were made during New Year's Eve. The final figures will be announced later this week. During last New Year's Eve, 248 people were arrested.

https://nltimes.nl/2024/01/01/police-firefighters-assaulted-fireworks-around-netherlands-dozens-hurt