Exceptional levels of violence swept through Europe on New Year’s Eve, stretching the resources of law enforcement and emergency services in many major cities. In most cases, immigrant neighborhoods were the hotspots of vandalism and violence. In France, 1,173 cars were set on fire in the country just in one night. In Brussels, emergency crews were called to large numbers of outdoor fires and vehicle set ablaze, many of them linked to fireworks. Violence against emergency services was reported in multiple Dutch cities. Molotov cocktails were thrown at police in the southern city of Breda. The German Police Union (DPolG) in Berlin said attacks on police and firefighters had taken place.
Balázs Orbán, the political director of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán highlighted the trend of violent and destructive events New Year’s Eve on X: “What happened in Berlin on New Year’s Eve is something we are increasingly witnessing on the streets of major Western European cities: a migration-based public order breakdown.”
