last generation
Few understand roadblocks
Activists from the Last Generation group repeatedly draw attention to themselves with adhesive campaigns. photo
© Swen Pförtner/dpa
Climate activists keep blocking roads in German cities. That causes controversy. According to a survey, a clear majority considers this form of protest “not justified”.
According to a survey, road blockades by climate activists meet with little understanding among most people in Germany. Only 13 percent of those surveyed stated that they consider protests such as the temporary blocking of roads to be justified, according to a representative survey commissioned by Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and published on Monday. Almost half of the supporters belonged to the Green electorate. A total of 85 percent of those surveyed felt that making their point of view on climate and environmental protection clear in this way was “not justified”. In December 2022, 84 percent had this opinion.
Activists of the climate protection group Last Generation repeatedly draw attention to themselves with adhesive campaigns on works of art and traffic blockades. In May, police and prosecutor investigators launched a nationwide raid on members of the group. The charge is to form or support a criminal organization. The activists deny being criminals, although several members of the group have been convicted of crimes.
According to the survey, more than half of those surveyed said that the penalties imposed on climate activists were “not harsh enough”. Around a quarter thought it was appropriate, and 11 percent thought it was “too hard”.
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