City of peace on the first of May » Mika Meskanen

Multicultural Kreuzberg is famous for its May Day celebrations. In the past years the streets were plagued by violent riots, where car-burning extremist groups fought the police and each other. However, residents associations eventually countered this by starting their own party called Myfest. Every street, square and corner in the critical neigbourhood is filled with good mood from bands, DJs and common people — allowing little space for trouble to evolve. The police keeps a healthy distance in order not to provoke, but move swiftly into hotspots as one emerges, curbing the conflict into a harmless cat and mouse play.