Recent terrorist attacks cast shadow over Germany's Carnival season
A series of recent terrorist attacks in Germany is casting a shadow over preparations for Carnival season, which begins in earnest this year at the end of February.
"Security measures have been adapted. There are additional requirements compared with last year," German Carnival Association head Klaus-Ludwig Fess told dpa.
Celebrations kick off on February 27 with Weiberfastnacht, the night when women dictate events, and move on to Carnival Weekend culminating on Shrove Monday - known in Germany as Rose Monday - on March 3, when large parades are held in the major Carnival centres of Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz, and smaller events throughout the Rhineland.
Carnival is a period of merrymaking before the solemn Christian fasting season of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday falls on March 5 this year.
Fess said that some parades had already been called off for security reasons.
Following on from a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, bollards are being erected to block entry to vehicles. "The routes are being re-evaluated. We are taking a look at where vehicles could drive into a parade," Fess said.
Six people were killed in Magdeburg, and almost 300 were injured. On Thursday, a car ploughed into a demonstration in Munich, injuring 36. Local authorities were tightening their restrictions in response, Fess said.
Interviewed by the Funke Media Group, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "The federal and state-level police authorities are doing all in their power to guarantee the safety at gatherings of this kind."
According to the association, around 3,500 parades are planned across Germany. The association draws together more that 5,300 groups from all 16 states.
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