Berliner question the government's ability to keep citizens safe as power grid sabotage sparks widespread outrage.
Berliners are demanding answers from their government after an arson attack on Saturday left nearly 50,000 households and businesses in the dark. The attack, which targeted high-voltage cables in south-west Berlin, has sparked a wave of frustration among residents who feel they are living through a crisis.
The Vulkangruppe, a group claiming responsibility for the attack, said their aim was to "turn off the juice of those in power" and highlight Germany's over-reliance on fossil fuels. However, many Germans are left wondering how such a critical infrastructure failure could occur, given the country's status as Europe's largest economy.
Experts say that the attack highlights the need for more investment in domestic civil protection and disaster relief. Manuel Atug, a founder of AG Kritis, an independent working group of experts on critical infrastructure, warned repeatedly of shortfalls in the system, including a lack of planning to ensure networks could not fail due to one event.
"It's no longer an abstract warning we face, but a bitter reality," said Kay Gottschalk, deputy federal spokesperson for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party. The government is under pressure to provide more concrete measures to prevent such attacks in the future.
As the city struggles to recover from the power cut, Berliners are showing their resilience and solidarity with those affected. Hotels, libraries, swimming pools, cinemas, and museums have opened their doors, offering free tea, coffee, and other essentials to those who lost power.
The incident has also highlighted concerns about the country's leadership and ability to keep citizens safe. "What is wrong with this city?" an anguished middle-aged man was heard asking on camera as Berlin's mayor, Kai Wegner, visited a sports hall housing residents on army camp beds.
As Silke Peters, a retired nurse and caretaker in her 70s, put it, "Tell that to the elderly who were stuck in their lifts when the blackout happened, or our neighbour whose cat ran away and has yet to return." The incident has sparked an outpouring of goodwill towards those affected, but many Germans are still demanding answers about how such a disaster could occur.
Berliners are demanding answers from their government after an arson attack on Saturday left nearly 50,000 households and businesses in the dark. The attack, which targeted high-voltage cables in south-west Berlin, has sparked a wave of frustration among residents who feel they are living through a crisis.
The Vulkangruppe, a group claiming responsibility for the attack, said their aim was to "turn off the juice of those in power" and highlight Germany's over-reliance on fossil fuels. However, many Germans are left wondering how such a critical infrastructure failure could occur, given the country's status as Europe's largest economy.
Experts say that the attack highlights the need for more investment in domestic civil protection and disaster relief. Manuel Atug, a founder of AG Kritis, an independent working group of experts on critical infrastructure, warned repeatedly of shortfalls in the system, including a lack of planning to ensure networks could not fail due to one event.
"It's no longer an abstract warning we face, but a bitter reality," said Kay Gottschalk, deputy federal spokesperson for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party. The government is under pressure to provide more concrete measures to prevent such attacks in the future.
As the city struggles to recover from the power cut, Berliners are showing their resilience and solidarity with those affected. Hotels, libraries, swimming pools, cinemas, and museums have opened their doors, offering free tea, coffee, and other essentials to those who lost power.
The incident has also highlighted concerns about the country's leadership and ability to keep citizens safe. "What is wrong with this city?" an anguished middle-aged man was heard asking on camera as Berlin's mayor, Kai Wegner, visited a sports hall housing residents on army camp beds.
As Silke Peters, a retired nurse and caretaker in her 70s, put it, "Tell that to the elderly who were stuck in their lifts when the blackout happened, or our neighbour whose cat ran away and has yet to return." The incident has sparked an outpouring of goodwill towards those affected, but many Germans are still demanding answers about how such a disaster could occur.
... I mean, can't we invest in some basic safety measures instead of letting these power grid saboteurs wreak havoc on our lives? Like, what's the point of having experts warning about this stuff for years and not doing anything about it? 
It's not like they're asking for much - just a little planning and investment to prevent something like this from happening in the first place. And now we're stuck dealing with the aftermath, and I'm sure the elderly people stuck in their lifts aren't exactly feeling fine 
...
. i was living in berlin like 5 yrs ago and it's crazy to think about how quickly things can go from "all good" to "what's going on?" 
. it's not just the ppl who lost power, it's also the elderly and vulnerable ones who were stuck in lifts or had to deal with their pets running away... that's just not right 
this power grid sabotage is super worrying, you know? like, germany's got one of the strongest economies in europe and yet we can't even keep our lights on without some crazy attacker messing with it 
should be investing more in domestic civil protection and disaster relief, imo. like, experts have been warning about this for ages and now it's a 'bitter reality' 
I mean, come on Germany is one of the richest countries in Europe, you'd think they could figure out how to keep their own power grid safe 
. The fact that there are no concrete measures in place to prevent such attacks in the future is just unacceptable 
. But at the same time I'm so proud of the resilience and solidarity shown by the Berlin community, it's amazing 
! Everyone coming together to support each other, that's what this city is all about 
And yeah, it's not just Berlin that's affected, what about all those people who lost power at home? My aunt lives in Germany and I'm sure she'd freak out if her lift broke down during a blackout