According to Interior Minister Faeser, the climate activists of the “last generation” have been responsible for 580 criminal offenses since the beginning of last year. Recently, the question of how to deal with the group correctly had also split politics.
According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the members of the “Last Generation” group are responsible for 580 crimes. According to the SPD politician, the information is based on a first nationwide situation report from the Federal Criminal Police Office and on a period since the beginning of 2022.
Faeser told the “Bild am Sonntag” that most of the offenses that the climate activists are accused of are coercion and property damage. A total of 740 people “appeared to the police”. Faeser again sharply criticized the protest actions. “We do not accept that activists violate the rights of others,” she emphasized, adding:
This is of no use to climate protection at all, on the contrary: the activists are massively damaging acceptance. In many places we see the police stepping in and activists ending up in court.
From Faeser’s point of view, it is right that the police intervene in the climate protests and that activists are also sentenced if necessary. However, there are differences between “criminals and extremists,” she told the newspaper.
Investigations in Bavaria and Brandenburg
The debate as to whether the “last generation” is crossing borders with their protest actions and what consequences are appropriate when dealing with the group has been dividing politics for a long time. Around two and a half weeks ago, the group’s apartments and business premises were searched during a raid in several federal states. The background is ongoing investigations in Bavaria and Brandenburg on the suspicion that members of the “last generation” could have formed or supported a criminal organization.
From a legal point of view, however, it is highly controversial whether the accusation is legally fulfilled according to paragraph 129 of the Criminal Code.
Limit on violations of the law
Among the parties, the Union in particular is behind criminal investigations against the climate activists. Several Union politicians spoke out in favor of having the group observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. According to the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, there is not yet sufficient evidence that the “last generation” could be classified as extremist.
Other parties also criticized the protest actions. For example, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing advocated taking action against breaches of the law “with all the force of the law”. Likewise, SPD party leader Saskia Esken, despite understanding the concerns about climate change, drew a clear line if laws were broken during protest actions.