Street Carnival: Minister: Hesse should celebrate Carnival happily

According to Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU), carnival fans in Hesse should be able to party carefree during the upcoming street carnival. "Even in times of a tense security situation, it is important to maintain traditions and celebrate happily," he told the German Press Agency.

The attack in Munich , in which two people were killed, has made the tense security situation clear, Poseck continued. In Hesse, all police headquarters have reviewed the upcoming events again and have coordinated closely with the organizers and municipalities. Additional forces will be deployed if necessary.

There is currently no indication of a specific risk situation for the carnival events that are just around the corner. "This also applies to carnival parades," stressed Poseck. Nevertheless, the danger remains high in Hesse in the abstract. "That is why vigilance and good preparation are the order of the day," said the minister.

The tightened security measures mean that the organizers of carnival parades will incur considerable additional expenses this year. In Offenbach, the city is therefore assuming short-term costs in the low five-figure range for the carnival parades in the Bieber and Bürgel districts, a city spokesman announced. The aim is to relieve the carnival clubs of financial burdens in order to ensure that the parades can take place as usual.

According to the city, mobile barriers will be used for the first time at the Offenbach parades this year. The presence of state and city police will also be increased. However, there is no specific threat to Offenbach; these are preventive measures.

The largest Rose Monday parade in Hesse is being celebrated in the carnival stronghold of Fulda . The organizer is the Fulda Carnival Society (FKG). "We are solely dependent on donations. That is why, like every year, we are holding a fundraising campaign for the so-called RoMo Order," reports FKV Vice President Jan-C. Frühauf. This Rose Monday Order is awarded every year as a thank you for a donation of at least 66.66 euros.

The FKG also wants to raise awareness of the issue among all spectators and hopes that they will support the Fulda carnival parades "with a little penny". As a thank you, there is the "RoMo button". "An old tradition that we are taking up again this year, because many years ago there was already the so-called RoMo badge," explains Frühauf.

This year, the issue of security is also playing an important role in Fulda following the attacks in Magdeburg and Munich. "As every year, we are in close contact with all security authorities and are constantly adapting our security concept," says Frühauf. The FKG vice president did not want to give any details about the security concept.

The East Hesse Police Headquarters announced that numerous police officers in plain clothes and uniforms will be deployed at the East Hesse carnival events. At the Rose Monday parade in Fulda, in close coordination with the public order office, this year "small changes to the police route and barrier posts will be made based on experience and current circumstances."

"Otherwise, the East Hesse police will again be positioned according to the situation," explained a spokesman. For example, as in previous years, specially trained officers will be on site who can, for example, use loudspeaker announcements to influence large gatherings in special situations. "We as the police are positioning ourselves in such a way that people feel as safe as possible at events throughout East Hesse and are as safe as possible," explained the spokesman.

As in previous years, the city is using access barriers for the Rose Monday parade in Fritzlar, one of the largest in northern Hesse. The event areas are to be protected by motor vehicles.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:250225-930-386068/1