The demonstration leads directly to Stadelheim, to the prison. In front of their gates, mind you, not in prison, which is quite worth mentioning these days. 13 climate activists have been sitting behind the walls since the beginning of November. They are not convicted of a crime, they are in “preventive custody” for 30 days. In fact, it is preventive detention. They glued themselves to the Stachus on the street, blocking traffic. It was one of many actions with which the “last generation” is demanding much more effective policies against climate destruction.
Nowhere is the state taking such rigorous action against the “climate stickers” as in Bavaria, the local Police Tasks Act (PAG) allows it. At the request of the police, a court can impose a month’s detention and even extend it by a further 30 days. People from the eco-scene and anti-capitalism movement are protesting against these sanctions, and there are likely to be almost 1,000 demonstrating on Sunday afternoon.
The organizers perceive a “massive intensification” of the state reaction to climate protests. “While those who work to protect our livelihoods are behind bars, the state and corporations continue to destroy our planet without any punishment,” says the protest call, signed by more than 50 groups, mainly from Munich and Augsburg, including Fridays for Future, Bund Naturschutz and the Left Party. The Bavarian police have already taken 33 activists into preventive custody in the past few weeks, according to the Interior Ministry, about half of them were still in custody on Friday.
The organizers of the demo see the reaction of the police as an “escalation of criminalization”: the state wants to curb the protests and protect “the way things continue in the system”. “We are not concerned here with welcoming or rejecting individual forms of action,” says the appeal. “But for something bigger: our freedom to fight for a better world. If we remain silent now, measures such as 30-day detention without trial will become the norm and state actors will be able to suppress unpleasant voices more easily.”
The state government defends preventive detention against climate activists. “Preventive measures are necessary to prevent crimes that are announced that are obviously imminent,” said Head of State Florian Herrmann (CSU) last week. “A well-fortified democracy simply cannot be danced around on its face.” Several lawsuits against the PAG are pending before the Bavarian Constitutional Court and the Federal Constitutional Court.
Preventive detention is a “sign of political weakness”
Jan Renner from the “NoPAG” alliance calls preventive detention inappropriate and undemocratic. This is a “sign of political weakness”. Many in the protest march carry signs with them: “Expropriate energy companies,” says one, or: “Climate protection = peace policy.” Or: “Söder in preventive detention for inaction on climate protection.”
The climate protectors get support from the Catholic Church. Munich’s Archbishop Reinhard Marx hasn’t stuck to the streets yet, but he did voice his support for the youth pilgrimage in honor of the diocese’s patron, Korbinian. He understands that young people “extend to the fullest extent” to “make visible that we are at a turning point”. You need “impulses of commitment”, “even if it is sometimes loud and annoys the adults – you can do that, you may even have to do that”. He is convinced: “Where else should it come from if the young people don’t do it, this reminder: Think about the whole planet!”
The demonstrators on the way to Stadelheim, people of all ages, think about the future of this planet. The singer-songwriter Konstantin Wecker sent a greeting. “The rules have to change,” he noted, before having his solidarity with the prisoners read out: “Power through the walls.” Arriving in front of these walls, the crowd shouts: “Protecting the climate is not a crime!”