Status: 10/17/2022 4:29 p.m
Climate activists from several groups have demonstrated in front of and in the Federal Ministry of Finance. At the same time, freeway exits were blocked. Among other things, the demonstrators called for a debt cut for poor countries.
Climate protection activists have entered the Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin and protested there with posters and chants. According to the police, they stood and sat in the entrance area and on a balcony of the large building on Wilhelmstrasse. According to the group “Last Generation”, the movements “Scientist Rebellion” and “Debt for Climate” were also involved.
The Last Generation tweeted a video showing young people holding up banners in a large hall. She criticized Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) because he wanted to discuss a haircut for poor countries, but had only made “an empty promise”.
Another group asked Lindner to speak to the activists on site. Accordingly, demonstrators also stuck to the ministry building. According to the ministry, Lindner spoke to the demonstrators, after which they broke up peacefully.
Lindner himself later commented on Twitter: “In Washington we met about debt with African countries. We’ll stay tuned,” he wrote, referring to his participation in the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week. “So I wouldn’t have needed the action, but it didn’t bother the service.”
Motorway exits blocked again
Parallel to the action in the Ministry of Finance, climate protection demonstrators blocked motorway exits in several places in Berlin in the morning, including in the districts of Charlottenburg, Tempelhof and Schöneberg. Some of them glued themselves to the streets.
In the past few months, climate activists have blocked several motorway exits and intersections in large German cities and have also triggered false fire alarms in public buildings in the past few days. At the weekend, the group “Last Generation” announced that it would expand its blockades or other disruptions this week. The group calls for more measures to protect the climate.
“Here you play with human lives”
Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger criticized the false fire alarms in the Reichstag building, in a Bundestag office building and at a large world health congress. The SPD politician announced claims for recourse and said: “Here you play with human lives. It’s not funny and we don’t find it funny,” said the senator. The fire brigade alarm is being played with – but the police and fire brigade always assume an emergency.
According to the senator, there were reports of misuse of emergency calls and impairment of accident prevention and emergency aid. The law provides for a fine or imprisonment of up to one year. The police are currently preparing the bills for the costs of the respective operations in connection with the false alarms, said Spranger.
In addition, there would be the costs for the fire brigade in the amount of 1000 euros per operation as well as the personnel costs. Since it is a federal building, the fee notices would go to the federal police or the police of the German Bundestag.