Overview
- The DUH-led #böllerciao coalition handed over 1,035,809 signatures and an open letter to the Federal Interior Ministry in Berlin on Monday.
- The ministry accepted the submission through a department head rather than Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, drawing public criticism from organizers.
- Advocates cite extreme particulate pollution, health risks for people with pre-existing conditions, severe animal distress, and toxic litter as grounds for a prohibition.
- Parallel efforts report broad backing, with the Police Union citing 3.25 million supporters and the Campact network reporting 439,000.
- Political leaders remain split after a December meeting of federal and state interior ministers, while the pyrotechnics industry rejects a blanket ban and urges tougher enforcement against illegal fireworks.