Tiergarten District Court
Climate activist sticks and is brought out of court together with the table
Climate activist Henning Jeschke is sitting glued to a table in a room of the Tiergarten district court
© Anne Baum / DPA
With their protests, they are demanding more action against climate change. The Last Generation group focuses on roadblocks. Porridge attacks in museums also cause a stir. Now a climate activist is stuck in court.
The process is about roadblocks in which climate activist Henning Jeschke is said to have participated. The founding member of the Last Generation group used the hearing before the Tiergarten District Court for another action: In the middle of the process, the 23-year-old from Greifswald jumped up and stuck himself to a table. “I’m stuck. I have to do it because we have to talk about a climate emergency,” Jeschke shouted in room D107. “I’m sorry. I have to do it.”
Judge Sebastian Jacobs briefly interrupted the hearing to alert court officials. However, since Jeschke kept interrupting him, the judge finally excluded the 23-year-old from the process. Judicial officials carried the table Jeschke was stuck to into an anteroom of the courthouse. The climate activist said in the anteroom: “The judge has to deal with the climate emergency.” Police and paramedics were called to relieve the man from the tabletop. But the climate activist refused.
The last generation group was formed after a climate hunger strike in Berlin and is calling for more measures to protect the climate. Since the beginning of 2022, it has repeatedly blocked freeway exits and other roads in many cities, with Berlin being a focal point.
“We could do without the table” – negotiations continue
Jeschke was finally taken out of the building on Thursday with his hand glued to the table, as court spokeswoman Lisa Jani said. Officials had previously helped him into his jacket. Most recently, the 23-year-old was seen accompanied at a bus stop – including the table, which is about 1.20 meters wide. “We were able to do without the table. The main thing was that the main hearing could continue,” said spokeswoman Jani. Jeschke had been banned from the house for Thursday.
Meanwhile, the hearing continued in the courtroom. Ultimately, however, she was interrupted. The trial is scheduled to continue on March 9th.
The process involves several actions by the Last Generation group between March and June 2022, in which he is said to have participated. The public prosecutor’s office in Berlin accuses Jeschke of coercion, resistance to law enforcement officials and dangerous intervention in road traffic. Penal orders were issued for the climate activist to pay a fine. Because he objected, it came to trial. On Thursday it was a continuation date.
Jeschke filmed himself during the action. The group Last Generation published a video on Twitter a little later. The group spoke of a possible bias of the judge. At the end of last year, he “shared templates from the public prosecutor’s office in internal court chats – possibly as a “conviction aid” for other judges,” it said. However, an application for rejection due to bias was unsuccessful.
Court spokeswoman Jani explained that the judge forwarded an email to his colleagues with a note from the prosecutor regarding the handling of the incidents. This is part of his job because he is part of the administration.