Federal Ministry of the Interior St. Martin’s Parades to take place despite climate conference
Bonn · A possible cancellation of St. Martin’s Parades due to lack of police triggered a wave of indignation on social media. Federal authorities say they are working on a concept to ensure the parades can take place.
A possible cancellation of St. Martin’s Parades due to lack of sufficient police support has triggered a wave of indignation. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), which is responsible for the climate conference at federal government level, responded to the news on Tuesday. BMUB State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth made a clear statement in support of the parades; “The federal, state and city governments are working closely with security forces to create a security concept for November. In this, it will be ensured that the St. Martin’s Parades can be held in Bonn without restrictions.”
Other politicians and leaders had also called for a solution. “The St. Martin’s Parades belong to the Christian-influenced Rhineland just like Carnival. We must find a solution so that world politics and Christian tradition can take place at the same time,“ said Christos Katzidis of the Bonn CDU party. He was planning some talks on the subject. City deacon Wilfried Schumacher also announced he wanted to bring together Mayor Ashok Sridharan, police and rescue services for a round table discussion. “The St. Martin’s Parades would definitely enrich the World Climate Conference,” said Schumacher.
The topic had also been actively discussed in social media. By Tuesday evening, it reached more than 49,000 readers of the General Anzeiger Facebook page. "I can understand that in this day and age, there is a great need to protect international events, but regional circumstances also have to be taken into account," one user writes.
Contrary to some online comments, police presence at the parades mainly serves to regulate traffic. There is no legal requirement for police to be at every St. Martin’s Parade."We do not have to be there," said police spokesman Robert Scholten. However, police are obliged to secure areas where there are dangerous road crossings. Of the approximate 50 St. Martin’s Day Parades in Bonn, one-fifth were accompanied by police.
Organizers of the parades have to register them with district authorities, who also can redirect buses if necessary. Concerning the lack of police officers, others such as the fire department could also be put in place to regulate traffic. Carnival kicks off on November 11, also during the climate conference but Scholten said there were no impairments to be reported so far.
(Orig. text: Sabrina Bauer. Translation: ckloep)
