climate
Thousands at Fridays for Future demonstration in Berlin
Fridays for Future wants to demonstrate for climate protection in more than 100 cities in Germany. Photo
© Julian Stähle/dpa
Climate activists have called for nationwide protests ahead of the European elections. Several thousand protesters gathered in Berlin.
Thousands of people gathered on Friday for a demonstration by the climate protection movement Fridays for Future in Berlin. The police initially estimated that there were more than 5,000 participants. According to the organizers, more than 13,000 people demonstrated in Berlin for climate protection, democracy and against right-wing extremism. The rally started at noon in front of the Brandenburg Gate. A smaller group of less than ten people also waved Palestinian flags.
Similar protests are planned in around 100 cities in Germany on Friday, the organization announced. Larger demonstrations and rallies are also expected in Hamburg and Munich.
Nine days before the European elections on June 9, climate activists want to draw attention to the importance of the EU in tackling the climate crisis. They are calling for an EU-wide phase-out of coal, oil and gas by 2035 and a doubling of investments in renewable energies and climate-neutral industries. The new EU Parliament must make a clear decision in favor of climate protection and democracy, said Frieda Egeling, spokeswoman for Fridays For Future Berlin in a statement.
Ricarda Lang: Climate strike is more relevant than ever
Green Party leader Ricarda Lang has backed the climate protesters. “It is encouraging to see that thousands of people across Germany are taking to the streets today for more climate protection,” Lang told the German Press Agency in Berlin.
The climate strike is more relevant than ever, said Lang. One week before the European elections, it is clear that June 9 will be a landmark event for European climate policy. “Parts of the Union want to deliberately roll back climate protection and are thereby consciously opposing the course of their own top candidate. The Union’s zigzag course on the Green Deal is a threat to the climate, to Germany as a business location and to prosperity throughout Europe.”
The leading candidate of the conservative European party family EPP is the incumbent EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She launched the so-called Green Deal in 2019. The EU aims to become climate neutral by 2050. The strategy includes measures in various areas such as energy, transport, industry and agriculture.