Carnival participants demand that toy guns be banned: Safety debate

At least Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz don't have to worry about the Frankfurt carnival parade on Sunday. The fools on the Main have made a virtue out of the time pressure after the election and have refrained from making fun of federal politics with their floats. "February 23rd as election day was extremely unfortunate for us because it was simply not possible to plan for a float," says René Fischer, who is responsible for planning the parade as parade marshal of the Grand Council of Frankfurt carnival clubs.

Therefore, the only political motifs that can be seen are a car with US President Donald Trump and his assistant Elon Musk and a vehicle with Mayor Mike Josef. "But I don't think that's a bad thing. We just thought about our homeland." The result, for example, is a new committee car that is a tribute to the old Frankfurt tram, the so-called A-car. In addition, a car is dedicated to the showmen's fight for the fairground as the home of the Dippemess. The sign madness on Grüneburgweg, where 500 traffic signs were counted over 1200 meters, is also the best street carnival satire.

What is less funny for the fools is that the security requirements continue to increase and represent an ever greater financial challenge for the organizers. The costs have increased significantly again because, following the recent attacks in German cities, more roadblocks have had to be set up around the train route.

The associations of the Grand Council therefore support a move by the Frankfurt CDU , which plans to submit a motion to the city council on Thursday that the public sector should pay for the measures that have become necessary due to the threat of terrorism. "The state must generally cover the costs of countering terrorism at events that are an important cultural asset," says Axel Heilmann, President of the Grand Council, which brings together Frankfurt's carnival associations.

He emphasizes that the carnival participants have generally been able to rely on the city so far. "But with the ever-increasing sums involved, pre-financing is now a problem for us; the landlords of roadblocks want to see money immediately. We need more planning security, but we lack the necessary lobby for that."

Heilmann believes that, as proposed in the CDU proposal, it is the responsibility of the clubs to prevent risks from the event itself, such as securing vehicles against accidents with pedestrians or dealing with drunk people. In contrast, he believes that ensuring general security against terrorist threats is a state responsibility. "We need a clear commitment from politicians and society to our traditions," says Heilmann.

The carnival-goers can argue by voting with their feet: 250,000 to 300,000 spectators are expected on Sunday for what Fischer calls “the largest purely voluntary event in the city”.

They come to celebrate happily when the first of a total of 3,800 participants and 190 parade numbers, including 20 themed floats and 16 marching bands, set off from the banks of the Main at 12:21 p.m. and wind their way through the city center via Neue Mainzer Strasse, Töngesgasse, and Braubachstrasse to Römerberg. The last floats are expected to arrive at Römerberg shortly after 4:30 a.m. after a four-kilometer parade route, where Hessischer Rundfunk will then end its broadcast, which begins at 1:11 p.m.

Axel Heilmann, President of the Grand Council, made a safety appeal of his own to the visitors. He called for a ban on so-called imitation weapons around the parade, somewhat in reference to the weapons ban zone in the station district. "It may be OK for children to hold a toy gun in their hand as part of their costume," says Heilmann. "But every adult should put themselves in the shoes of the bystanders or even the police if, in the current situation, someone in disguise is waving around a deceptively real-looking weapon. Personally, I have never understood why toy guns should be part of the carnival tradition. But now it is all the more urgent that we are all sensitized to this."

Residents in the city center should also ensure that parked vehicles along the parade route are moved elsewhere early on Sunday morning. There will be a strict no-parking rule from the early hours of the morning, and vehicles may be towed away at a cost. Road traffic will be severely affected until the afternoon, and trams will not be running around the Römerberg either. The subways, on the other hand, will run more frequently to transport the parade visitors.