Green MP celebrates fireworks - "Symbol for human life: short, beautiful and loud"

Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann can also gain something philosophical from a decent fireworks display. "I think fireworks are a good symbol of human life: short, beautiful and loud," said the head of government before the start of sales for rockets and firecrackers on Thursday.

He himself is now more of a spectator at the fireworks: "From the time my sons were allowed to do it, I stopped doing it," said the head of government of the German Press Agency. "Before, I was fully involved."

There is often great reticence in left and green circles about private fireworks on New Year's Eve. Every year there are calls for a ban on firecrackers.

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) is currently calling on Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to impose a complete ban on firecrackers for all future years. The minister must realize that millions of animals and people as well as the environment are suffering from the firecrackers and that more and more people therefore urgently want a ban, according to the DUH.

The environmental association forged an action alliance that, according to its own statements, is getting bigger and bigger. An open letter to Faeser has already been co-signed nearly 50,000 times and is supported by a dozen organizations, the environmentalists said.

In addition to environmental and animal protection organizations, the supporters of a ban now also include the Federal Association of Doctors in the Public Health Service, Doctors President Reinhardt, the police union and UN Peace Ambassador Jane Goodall.

The DUH calls on the citizens to do without pyrotechnics and instead to use the money for charitable purposes - under the motto "donations instead of firecrackers".

At the same time, the first New Year's Eve after the end of the pandemic announced by virologist Christian Drosten met with a tense supply situation in many hospitals.

As a precaution, the accident clinic in Frankfurt/Main asks for your understanding for possibly longer waiting times at the turn of the year. From the late evening hours on New Year's Eve and especially after midnight, the professional association accident clinic (BGU) expects an increased number of emergencies due to too much alcohol consumption as well as hand and explosion injuries from fireworks, as the medical director of the clinic, Prof. Reinhard Hoffmann, the dpa said. "Longer waiting times are to be expected in any case," said Prof. Hoffmann from the BGU.

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