A senior official from the German Social Democratic Party’s parliamentary faction has expressed support for the head of the Interior Ministers’ Conference on the issue of firework restrictions.
Sebastian Fiedler, the SPD’s parliamentary spokesperson, emphasized the need for effective measures to prevent the misuse of firecrackers, particularly in large cities. He believes that defining certain zones where firecrackers can be banned or restricting their sale would be a step in the right direction, citing the German Police Union’s demands for such measures as a reason.
Fiedler dismissed concerns about the high personnel costs of enforcing such restrictions, pointing out that the police have already shouldered a significant workload in recent years without such restrictions in place.
The head of the Interior Ministers’ Conference, Bremen’s Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer, has announced plans to significantly restrict firework use on New Year’s Eve, a topic to be discussed at the conference that began today.
Fiedler also expressed his disapproval of a recent SPD manifesto, which calls for politicians to engage in dialogue with Russia. He finds the idea of cooperation with Russia, a country he regards as a war criminal, to be “irritating, unsettling and infuriating.” He reaffirmed his support for the government’s course and reminded the public that nearly 85 percent of SPD members approved the coalition agreement due to its sound principles.
The manifesto, published by the German weekly magazine Stern, is a policy paper signed by several prominent Social Democratic politicians, including the former faction leader Rolf Mützenich, former Foreign Affairs Minister Ralf Stegner, former party chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans and former Finance Minister Hans Eichel. The signatories demand an immediate shift in the country’s foreign and security policy, calling for talks with Russia and the halting of the deployment of new US medium-range missiles. They also describe the NATO’s 5% defense spending goal as “irrational”.