A Greenpeace activist has apologized in court for a dangerous protest at the 2021 European Football Championship. The 40-year-old from Baden-Württemberg admitted on Tuesday to the Munich district court that he had paraglided into the arena in Fröttmaning in June 2021, injuring two people in the spectator stands. He promised never to repeat such an action.
The defendant, who works as a surgeon, admitted to having flown over the stadium shortly before the kick-off of the European Championship match between Germany and France, where he threw a large ball onto the field. The action was directed against the EM sponsor Volkswagen and its role in climate change.
The paraglider got caught in a steel cable, causing the 40-year-old to lose control. It came about because he was distracted by watching the field and dealing with the ball, he said. His plan was to fly back after dropping the ball.
A French sound engineer and a Ukrainian doping control officer from UEFA were injured while descending over the stands. The inspector spent one night in the hospital. The paraglider landed on the field and injured his ankle.
Shortly thereafter, he said, he had apologized to the victims by phone. He paid the Ukrainian a compensation of 3,500 euros. The man is charged with intentionally endangering air traffic and causing bodily harm. In addition to him, another man who is said to have helped with the preparations has to answer for himself. The second defendant also apologized but declined to testify on some of the charges. The verdict should fall on Tuesday.