Security has tightened at Oktoberfest in the wake of last month’s deadly knife attack in Solingen in western Germany, and officials warned revelers to expect longer lines at entry points as metal detectors will be deployed for the first time in the Bavarian beer festival’s 189-year history.
Authorities say there are no specific threats to the world’s largest folk festival, which begins Saturday with the traditional keg-tapping in Munich and runs through Oct. 6. Some 6 million participants, many wearing traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses, are expected over the course of the event.
The stepped-up security comes after an Aug. 23 attack in Solingen that left three dead and eight wounded. A 26-year-old Syrian suspect was arrested. He was an asylum-seeker who was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria last year but reportedly disappeared for a time and avoided deportation. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the violence, without providing evidence.
Porcelain knives exist, and a million other makeshift or non-metallic weapons. This is just security theatre as usual
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That’s more time for him to give up or be caught by police.
What exactly would he be caught for? Buying a knife?
We’ve seen the same thing with airport security. They’ve added nothing to actual security while causing tons of trouble for everybody and costing society billions of dollars.
A knife attack in Solingen, capital of the Inox knife industry is some Alanis Morissette level of irony.
Please leave your pagers at home.
