Police disperse hundreds of revellers in north and south of Germany

Police broke up gatherings of thousands of people partying in cities in northern and southern Germany, in events not permitted under pandemic regulations.

Nuremberg, Germany (dpa) – In Hamburg, up to 7,000 people celebrated through the night in the city park, police said. People gathered in the area as of early evening and the mood became aggressive later on, with some throwing bottles and others lighting fireworks.

The situation eased by Sunday morning, after police cleared the area.

Separately, some 250 people gathered at the Winterhude Muehlenkamp Bridge and on the road. They initially did not heed warnings to disperse and some threw fireworks.

Meanwhile, police in the southern German city of Augsburg broke up gatherings of hundreds of people and cleared several streets on Saturday night in an operation that lasted several hours, according to a spokesperson.

Many officers and party-goers were injured in the process, the spokesperson said.

Some 1,400 people were partying in the city centre, and the mood became aggressive due to alcohol consumption, police said.

Police decided to evacuate the area at 2 am (0000 GMT) after the gathering refused to move on despite repeated requests.

In the process, officers were pelted with more than 200 objects, including many glass bottles. An ambulance was also hit by a bottle, damaging its windscreen.

One person who threw a bottle was detained.