A press conference held by the Cologne Carnival President, Christoph Kuckelkorn, has sparked a discussion on the measures taken to ensure the safety of the Carnival festivities. In the event of an attack on a Carnival event, Kuckelkorn has announced that he would step down from his position.
According to Kuckelkorn, the thought of a potential attack weighs heavily on his mind and he would only be able to relax once the Carnival is over and all participants have returned home safely. He also stated that the safety concept for the Rose Monday parade is constantly being adapted, with additional measures being implemented following the recent attack in Munich.
The Cologne Carnival President emphasized that the responsibility for the security of the event lies with the city administration and the police, not with the organizers. He stressed that the safety of the event is of the utmost importance and that the parade will not take place if the authorities deem it to be a security risk.
The Cologne Carnival is a large-scale event, with over 40 floats in various city districts and Kuckelkorn acknowledged that the possibility of an incident cannot be entirely ruled out. However, he emphasized that the organizers are doing everything in their power to prevent such an event from occurring and that even the Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul, has expressed his confidence in the safety of the event by agreeing to ride in the parade.