SPD, Left and Greens sharply criticize the wiretapping of Bavarian investigators against the “Last Generation”, which also affects journalists. The Bavarian left therefore protested in front of the Ministry of Justice in Munich.
Against the background of the wiretapping by Bavarian authorities against the “last generation” climate activists, the Bavarian left protested in front of the Ministry of Justice in Munich. The state spokeswoman and top candidate for the state elections, Adelheid Rupp, accused the Free State of violating the law. “If there is bugging, which was the case in Bavaria, it must be subjected to a special examination. This special examination did not take place.”
The protest flared up in particular because conversations with journalists had also been overheard. According to Rupp, journalists are subject to professional secrecy. She called on the Greens and SPD factions in the Bavarian state parliament to work towards clarification and, if necessary, to initiate a committee of inquiry. At the same time, she announced that she wanted to do this herself immediately if the left moved into the Maximilianeum in October and the process had not been clarified by then.
The Munich public prosecutor’s office had previously confirmed that investigators were listening to calls made by members of the “Last Generation” climate group on their behalf. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had previously reported that the authority apparently overheard numerous conversations between activists and journalists for months.
Criticism from SPD and Left Party
“The entire procedure raises questions of proportionality,” said Lars Castellucci, deputy chairman of the interior committee in the Bundestag, the “Tagesspiegel”. These questions were not only aimed at the authorities, but also at politicians. “Concerns about the radicalization of climate protests must be taken seriously,” said the SPD politician. “The criminal offense of a criminal organization must not be an invitation to take action that only drives the accused to become radical.”
Dietmar Bartsch, leader of the left parliamentary group, described the bugging operation in the “Tagesspiegel” as part of the Bavarian election campaign. “The wiretapping by the Bavarian public prosecutor’s office is completely inappropriate and shows that it is wrong for public prosecutors to be bound by political instructions. They are being used for an indecent election campaign,” said Bartsch.
Measures classified as “proportionate”.
The district court in Munich issued resolutions to monitor telecommunications because of the initial suspicion of the formation or support of a criminal organization against members of the “last generation”, the authority said. These decisions were carried out by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office.
A spokesman for the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that the resolutions were not directed against journalists. “However, these were affected by the measures due to calls made via the monitored telephone numbers.”
He explained that before and during the monitoring, their proportionality was constantly checked. The Attorney General’s Office had come to the conclusion, just as before the decisions were made, that the measures were proportionate to the allegations. “In this consideration, the constitutional status of freedom of the press was of course weighted accordingly,” said the spokesman.
Police justify action
“No one is above the law, not even the last generation,” said the national chairman of the German police union, Rainer Wendt. “Criminal procedural measures are based on the suspicion and the severity of the crimes that the suspects are accused of. Sympathy for supposedly good targets shouldn’t play a role.” The wiretapping measures were “approved by independent judges” and could “be checked at any time, also retrospectively and with regard to their usability”.
The climate movement expressed its outrage at the wiretapping by the Bavarian investigators. The movement’s spokeswoman, Carla Hinrichs, said it was “disturbing” that private telephone conversations were also overheard and recorded. The “Last Generation” further stated in a statement that it was unclear whether the surveillance was still ongoing.