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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 25 February 2020
German man drives car into Carnival crowd, injures 30

By DAVID RISING and locally, was arrested at the all medical personnel in-
FRANK JORDANS scene in Volkmarsen near volved.
Associated Press Kassel, about 280 kilome- Emergency responders set
BERLIN (AP) — A man in- ters (175 miles) southwest up a makeshift clinic in a
tentionally drove a car of Berlin, prosecutors said. town pharmacy to treat
into a crowd at a Carnival He is being investigated on casualties with minor inju-
parade in a small town in suspicion of attempted ho- ries, the regional Frankfurter
central Germany, injuring micide. Rundschau newspaper re-
around 30 people includ- A spokesman for Frankfurt ported.
ing children, officials said prosecutors, Alexander Witnesses said the car
Monday. Badle, said in a statement drove around a barrier
The driver, a 29-year-old that “about 30 people” blocking off traffic from the
German citizen who lived were injured. They were parade, according to the
paper.
Video from the scene
Police and rescue workers stand next to the scene of the showed a silver Mercedes
accident with a car that is said to have crashed into a carnival station wagon with local li-
parade in Volkmarsen, central Germany, Monday, Feb. 24, cense plates on a sidewalk,
2020. its front windshield badly
Associated Press
smashed and hood dent-
taken to surrounding hos- marsen is located. He de- ed, and its hazard lights
pitals, some with life-threat- clined to comment on re- blinking, while emergency
ening injuries. ports that a second person crews walked by. Forensic
The suspect was also in- was detained following the experts could be seen tak-
jured, said Badle. crash. ing photos and measure-
Local residents gather at a roadblock near Mandamados “The investigation, espe- Beuth said about a third ments around the crashed
village on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, cially into the circumstanc- of those injured were chil- car, walking around frag-
Greece, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. es of the crime, continues,” dren, who had come to ments of Carnival costumes
Associated Press he said. “In particular, no watch the parade and col- that littered the ground.
Greek island protesters information can yet be pro- lect candy that’s tradition- The crash came amid the

vided about a motive. The ally thrown into the crowds height of Germany’s cel-
vow to stop new investigation is exploring all at Carnival celebrations in ebration of Carnival, with
avenues.”
the biggest parades in
Germany.
migrant camps “This is a terrible act com- Chancellor Angela Merkel Cologne, Duesseldorf and
mitted against people who sent her condolences to Mainz.
simply wanted to celebrate those injured in the crash, All other Carnival parades
By MICHAEL VARAKLAS “We are guarding the Carnival,” said Peter Beuth, wishing them a speedy in the central state of Hesse
and COSTAS KANTOURIS (appropriated) area, the interior minister for the and full recovery. She also were ended Monday as a
Associated Press and if they start building, state of Hesse, where Volk- thanked the police and precaution.q
LESBOS, Greece (AP) — everyone here and from
Protest groups on three the surrounding villages
eastern Greek islands on will join the protest — be- Outrage in Croatia after effigy burned
Monday begun setting cause we don’t want
up blockades aimed at this,” Stephanos Aposto- of same-sex couple
stopping the government lou, a protest organizer
from building new mi- and municipal council
grant detention centers. member from the village By DARKO BANDIC by many children who recent ruling by Croatia's
The groups on Lesbos, of Mandamados on Les- Associated Press could witness the spread- top court against discrimi-
Chios, and Samos have bos, told The Associated ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — ing of hatred and inciting nation of same-sex couples
received broad support Press. Greece remains Croatia's president and to violence," Milanovic said when it comes to acting as
on the islands, including the European Union’s government joined activ- in a statement. foster parents.
from municipal authori- busiest entry point for ref- ists Monday in expressing Croatia's government also The Constitutional Court
ties and farming associa- ugees and migrants, with outrage at the burning dur- said it is opposed to "any ruling in January was hailed
tions. nearly 4,000 making the ing a carnival of an effigy form of hate speech of as a major step forward in
The government says it winter crossing from Tur- showing a same-sex cou- aggression ... and any act boosting gay rights in Cro-
is determined to build key to Greek islands this ple with their child. that insults the feelings of atia. But it also angered
detention centers on re- year through Feb. 16, ac- The incident occurred Sun- the Croatian people and many in the predominantly
cently appropriated land cording to data from the day in the southern town of contributes to the divisions conservative Catholic na-
to replace overcrowded United Nations refugee Imotski. A large effigy show- within society," the official tion.
camps on the islands — agency. ing two men embracing Hina news agency report- Croatia, which currently
announcing that con- Croatia’s Foreign and each other was torched ed. holds the six-month, rotat-
struction would resume European Affairs Minister in front of cheering festival Burning of effigies is a sa- ing presidency of the Eu-
this week after a brief Gordan Grlic-Radman, goers to the sound of the tirical tradition at Croa- ropean Union, has allowed
break for consultations. whose country holds the funeral music. tia's carnivals, often rep- same-sex partnerships since
But many islanders fear rotating presidency of President Zoran Milanovic resenting public figures or 2014, but gay couples are
that new facilities will only the European Union, said condemned the incident politicians. Past incidents not allowed to adopt chil-
increase the number of its priority was to improve as an "inhumane, totally included the burning of dren. Milanovic, a liberal,
migrants and refugees af- screening mechanisms unacceptable act." He a children's book about was Croatia's prime minister
ter the government failed to separate legitimate demanded that the orga- same-sex families in 2018 at the time. He beat a con-
to deliver on a pledge to asylum seekers from oth- nizers apologize, while an and last year's torching of servative former president
ease overcrowding over er migrants entering the LGBT group announced le- an effigy of a Croatian Serb in a runoff vote last month
the winter months. 27-nation bloc. q gal action. politician. to become Croatia's new
"The event was observed Sunday's move follows a head of state.q