The 49th Berlin Marathon got off to a smooth start – thanks to the police and stewards: They were able to prevent a disruption shortly before the start. There was an innovation at the beginning of the run.
Police and security forces thwarted a blockade of the “Last Generation” shortly before the start of the Berlin Marathon on Sunday morning.
As the police wrote on A police spokeswoman told the EPD news agency that there were eight people. However, they were quickly dragged away and carried away by police and security forces, as seen in images and videos.
The activists also poured orange paint from buckets onto the road and had banners with them, the spokeswoman said. The start of the run was not affected by the quick intervention.
The “Last Generation” expressed regret at X about possible interruptions to the marathon, with a view to the participants in the run. “We are doing this because we are in an emergency. In existential danger!” is how the initiative justified its approach. The group had already announced on Friday that they wanted to “pause” the run. “We cannot run away from the climate catastrophe,” it said.
The police and internal administration issued a general decree banning unregistered demonstrations by the group around the marathon and threatened fines of 2,000 euros if they did not comply. The general order stated that the competitions and accompanying events must run smoothly. The primary goal is to avoid damage to people, materials and property. According to information from Sunday, the police are on site with more than 1,000 emergency services at the running event.
This meant that the 49th Berlin Marathon could begin without any problems. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) gave the starting signal for Germany’s largest city run on the Straße des 17. Juni in the Tiergarten. In good running conditions with temperatures around 14 degrees Celsius, Wegner decided not to give the starting signal and instead gave the starting signal with a buzzer. “A start signal via buzzer is much more appropriate in times when war is being waged in Ukraine,” Wegner told the German Press Agency about not using a pistol.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, September 24, 2023, 10 a.m