Members of the climate protection group “Last Generation” sprayed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with orange paint. A police spokesman said that around forty emergency services were on site on Sunday and there were 14 arrests. According to the spokesman, an investigation is being carried out due to damage to property that is harmful to the public. The police cordoned off a large area around the Berlin landmark, as a dpa reporter reported. Many passers-by reacted negatively to the protest. The activists said she was “part of the so-called turning point.”
To initiate this, hundreds of people have come to Berlin since last Wednesday. The group has announced new weeks of action, and from this Monday there will be road blockades in the capital again. The police want to react quickly and observe well-known intersections and motorway exits at an early stage. Last Generation said prepared fire extinguishers were used during the color campaign on Sunday. According to the police, climate activists also wanted to climb the Brandenburg Gate. A patrol noticed the lifting platform on the west side and prevented this.
In addition to road blockades, color attacks are a regular part of the activists’ actions. In addition to road blockades, color attacks are a regular part of climate activists’ actions. The group demands that Germany stop using fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas from 2030. The federal government is aiming for a climate-neutral economy by 2045.
At the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, the protest by climate activists has now led to 2,860 cases (as of September 15), as the authority announced at the request of the German Press Agency. The majority of cases involve actions by the climate protection group Last Generation (2458).
Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) has sharply criticized the color attack by climate activists on the Brandenburg Gate. The landmark is a symbol of Berlin as a city of freedom. “A city that also stands for freedom of expression and fair debates about our future,” said Wegner on Sunday. “With these actions, this group is not only damaging the historic Brandenburg Gate, but also our free discourse about the important issues of our time and future.”