Climate activists glue themselves to roads across Germany
On Monday, activists of the climate protection movement "Last Generation" blocked streets in cities in several German states.
Nicknamed Klimakleber ("climate stickers") by the German media, activists of the Last Generation group stuck themselves to roadways and obstructed traffic in several cities across Germany on Monday, including Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig, Düsseldorf and Hanover.
In Berlin, there were clashes with motorists as drivers insulted the activists, pushed them and tried to drag a stuck activist from the road. One driver even drove over the foot of a protester.
In Hanover, the group poured paint on the Ernst August statue and two activists blocked a roundabout by sticking themselves to the road.
In Düsseldorf, activists stuck themselves to the edge of a four-lane main road. Traffic was only briefly brought to a standstill and then continued to flow in a restricted single lane, a police spokeswoman said.
We have seen for months that the government is not even enacting the simplest safety measures against the climate emergency.
People are protesting in
Freiburg
Hanover
Heilbronn
Jena
Kempten
Leipzig
Magdeburg
Passau
Kaiserslautern
Berlin
Munich
for a binding citizens' assembly. pic.twitter.com/s9GbG3Njfm
— Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) February 6, 2023
In Cologne, four activists stuck themselves to a traffic lane and on a bike path at Neumarkt, according to police. On banners and via Twitter, the group Last Generation claimed responsibility for the action.
In the protests, the Last Generation group invoked Article 20a of the German Basic Law, which says that the state must protect the natural foundations of life and animals for future generations.
READ ALSO: Germany misses 2022 climate target on Ukraine war fallout
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised the protests over the weekend, saying: "Many are shaking their heads. Me too."
On Monday, the leader of the Green Party's parliamentary group, Katharina Dröge, also had sharp words for the protesters.
"What's the message in this? What do they want to achieve?" Dröge said in an interview on RTL. "Do they want to tell people, for example, don't drive to work anymore or don't bring your children to school anymore - there's no fit between action and message."
A spokesman for the German police union (GdP) also condemned the blockades and accused the activists of interfering with the freedom of movement of thousands of people.
READ ALSO: German police target climate activists in nationwide raids
Members of the "Last Generation" have nevertheless announced their intention to continue the protests in the coming days.
Spokesperson Aimée van Baalen announced: "One thing is clear: the resistance will not stop, it will be bigger than ever in 2023. We will expand the peaceful protests to the entire Bundesrepublik starting February 6th."
A report at the weekend by the Welt am Sonntag revealed details of the inner workings of the group. According to the report, Excel spreadsheets with personal data that circulated unencrypted on the Internet contained comments about the state of health and psychological robustness of individual members, including their willingness to go to prison in the course of a protest.
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Nicknamed Klimakleber ("climate stickers") by the German media, activists of the Last Generation group stuck themselves to roadways and obstructed traffic in several cities across Germany on Monday, including Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig, Düsseldorf and Hanover.
In Berlin, there were clashes with motorists as drivers insulted the activists, pushed them and tried to drag a stuck activist from the road. One driver even drove over the foot of a protester.
In Hanover, the group poured paint on the Ernst August statue and two activists blocked a roundabout by sticking themselves to the road.
In Düsseldorf, activists stuck themselves to the edge of a four-lane main road. Traffic was only briefly brought to a standstill and then continued to flow in a restricted single lane, a police spokeswoman said.
We have seen for months that the government is not even enacting the simplest safety measures against the climate emergency.
— Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) February 6, 2023
People are protesting in
Freiburg
Hanover
Heilbronn
Jena
Kempten
Leipzig
Magdeburg
Passau
Kaiserslautern
Berlin
Munich
for a binding citizens' assembly. pic.twitter.com/s9GbG3Njfm
In Cologne, four activists stuck themselves to a traffic lane and on a bike path at Neumarkt, according to police. On banners and via Twitter, the group Last Generation claimed responsibility for the action.
In the protests, the Last Generation group invoked Article 20a of the German Basic Law, which says that the state must protect the natural foundations of life and animals for future generations.
READ ALSO: Germany misses 2022 climate target on Ukraine war fallout
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised the protests over the weekend, saying: "Many are shaking their heads. Me too."
On Monday, the leader of the Green Party's parliamentary group, Katharina Dröge, also had sharp words for the protesters.
"What's the message in this? What do they want to achieve?" Dröge said in an interview on RTL. "Do they want to tell people, for example, don't drive to work anymore or don't bring your children to school anymore - there's no fit between action and message."
A spokesman for the German police union (GdP) also condemned the blockades and accused the activists of interfering with the freedom of movement of thousands of people.
READ ALSO: German police target climate activists in nationwide raids
Members of the "Last Generation" have nevertheless announced their intention to continue the protests in the coming days.
Spokesperson Aimée van Baalen announced: "One thing is clear: the resistance will not stop, it will be bigger than ever in 2023. We will expand the peaceful protests to the entire Bundesrepublik starting February 6th."
A report at the weekend by the Welt am Sonntag revealed details of the inner workings of the group. According to the report, Excel spreadsheets with personal data that circulated unencrypted on the Internet contained comments about the state of health and psychological robustness of individual members, including their willingness to go to prison in the course of a protest.
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