It was not legal what the four young people did when they occupied an empty house in the Free State to protest against the IAA motor show. The district court found the activists guilty of trespassing. And yet what the activists have done is legitimate. Yes, it is not only okay to protest against the ongoing destruction of livelihoods, it is imperative.
As long as those responsible for politics in the federal government, in Bavaria and in Munich City Hall only pursue half-hearted climate protection, they must expect that there will be more and more acts of civil disobedience, be it road blockades or house occupations. These are an expression of the anger and desperation of many, especially young people, who know: If we continue like this, the earth will soon be uninhabitable. In order to shake them up, they disrupt the usual rut of keep going towards doom, which is a form of self-defense. The state can criminalize and sanction the most active, the penal laws give a lot. It would make more sense to invest the energy in consistent climate protection and not spare the car industry at the same time.
The good thing about the squatter trial, with its symbolic mini-penalties, is that it focused on what was supposedly taken for granted. This also includes freedom of the press. The court convicted a journalist for going into the occupied office building to report from there. A second instance should think about this again. Because it is often necessary for journalists to see and hear what they are reporting on with their own eyes and ears.
This applies in a charged atmosphere during the IAA, when it was also a matter of directly observing the actions of the police. In other cases it may be necessary to get an impression of a refugee accommodation, for example, even at night, even without an official invitation.
No, it is not a new insight gained in the process, but a warning reminder: without a free press there is no democracy, without environmental protection there is no survival. What needs to be done, what is necessary and permitted, must be discussed and negotiated again and again. The following should apply, both in politics and in court: in case of doubt, for freedom of the press and for climate protection.