But it was not only the hours of noise that was annoying for many. “This central square has been turned into a pigsty,” complains Renate Vollmar, something her neighbour, Bernhard H. Jansen, confirms. “A used barbecue was disposed of in the fountain, broken glass bottles and cigarette butts are lying around everywhere.”

Jansen is particularly annoyed that no one bothered about the residents’ complaints. “You don’t know what to get more annoyed about, the punks’ thoughtlessness or the disinterest of the public order office and the police,” he said to the GA, venting his anger. “The punks should have their fun; I’ve nothing against that. But must they run riot in the middle of the city?”

Frank Piontek from the Bonn police confirms that police were at the location a total of 15 times on Friday and Saturday after complaints from residents. The complaints were solely in relation to music that was too loud. Around 60 to 70 people were there each time.

On Saturday evening, the meeting moved briefly to the Rheinaue. About 150 punks are said to have been there. “The punk days of fun have been around for many years. However, these gatherings are not an event that requires notification or approval. There is no event organiser, rather the meeting is organised via social media channels,” explained Andrea Schulte from the city’s press office. “As in previous years, the punks behaved reasonably. No complaints had to be recorded.”

“This is about controlling and demanding civilised behaviour in public places, rules of the game that apply to everyone,” criticises Renate Vollmar. After the “days of fun”, she contacted the Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan. “Enough is enough,” she says, underlining her position. “The tolerance levels are too high. There is no consideration anymore and no one bothers when the boundaries are overstepped,” complains Jansen.

Original text: Gabriele Immenkeppel.

Translation: kc