roadblocks
Esken warns against excessive action against climate activists
“In our constitutional state, however, it is important that the means used by the authorities are always proportionate and not excessive”: SPD leader Saskia Esken. photo
© Sven Käuler/TNN/dpa
Not everyone approves of the police crackdown on last generation climate activists. SPD leader Esken calls for proportionality.
SPD chairwoman Saskia Esken warns against exaggerated action against climate protection activists. There is a risk of further radicalization of the movement and it is therefore necessary for the security authorities to observe this, Esken told the German Press Agency. “In our constitutional state, however, it is important that the means used by the authorities are always proportionate and not excessive.”
The concerns of the climate protectors are very important and urgent, and they can understand the impatience of the young people, said Esken. However, the urgency also harbors the risk of radicalisation. “Because even if politics has moved significantly in recent years and the movement could see this as a success, everything we do seems too little and too late from this urgency.”
Although she can understand that many people are angry about the blockages on the streets, said Esken. And you can also ask yourself whether you can win people over to your cause in this way. But politicians must accept “that joining a party and going through the institutions is not the only way to get involved in politics”.
Esken: Punish breaking the law
The SPD leader emphasized that non-parliamentary, activist movements should also have their place in the democratic community. If the law is broken, it must be punished. “I find it unacceptable when coercion or even violence is used against people, and we also cannot accept the threat to public infrastructure caused by damage to property. There is a risk that this will continue to escalate.”
Police and public prosecutors raided the last generation climate protection group on Wednesday. Around 170 officers searched 15 apartments and business premises in 7 federal states, as announced by the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. The charge is to form or support a criminal organization. The activists deny being criminals, although several have already been convicted of criminal offenses, some even imprisoned. The raid was criticized by many as excessive. The initiative complained that its members felt like they were being “treated with serious criminals”.