Activists stick themselves to the roadways in Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig, Düsseldorf and other cities and obstruct traffic. In Berlin, blockers are said to have been physically attacked by annoyed drivers.
Activists from the “Last Generation” climate protection movement blocked streets in several cities at the start of the week. In the capital Berlin, there were also clashes with drivers during a blockade on Monday morning. According to a dpa reporter, around five drivers from different cars insulted the blockers on Messedamm, sometimes pushed them and tried to pull a stuck activist off the street.
On video recordings, which the RBB shows partially pixelated on its website, it looks as if a motorist runs over the foot of a protester. The police are said to have already started some investigations. RBB24 reports that activists from the “last generation” have not yet been notified.
There were also actions on Monday in Cologne, Leipzig and Magdeburg. The chairwoman of the Greens in the Bundestag, Katharina Dröge, expressed her incomprehension with regard to renewed road blockades. “What’s the message about it? What do they want to do?” She asked in RTL/ntv-“Frühstart”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/.”Do you want to tell people, don’t go to work anymore or don’t bring your children to school anymore – action and message don’t go together.”
The “Last Generation” referred to Article 20a of the Basic Law on Monday, according to which the state must also protect the natural basis of life and animals for future generations. The group said the activists were carrying signs that referred to the article in the Basic Law. A spokesman for the German Police Union (GdP) condemned the blockade and accused the activists of wantonly interfering with the freedom of movement of thousands of people.
In Hanover, a group blocked a roundabout. Two of the activists stuck to the asphalt, a police spokesman said. In Düsseldorf, activists stuck to the edge of a four-lane main thoroughfare. The traffic came to a standstill only for a short time due to a blockade by other activists and then continued to flow in a restricted one-way, said a police spokeswoman. There was a backlog.
The disruptive actions also caused traffic jams in other places. In Düsseldorf, the police reportedly filed a complaint against five activists for violating the Assembly Act and coercion. In Cologne, four activists stuck to a lane and a cycle path on the Neumarkt, the police said. The group “Last Generation” acknowledged the campaign on banners and via Twitter.